A Taste of Iceland: Saudagull’s Journey from a Food Truck to New Possibilities
By Mia in Customer Stories
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Based in East Iceland, Saudagull is a food truck founded by Ann-Marie Schlutz in 2021, bringing homemade food and unique flavors to the local community and visiting tourists. Driven by a passion for good food and creating memorable experiences, Ann-amarie has gradually grown her business while embracing the challenges of entrepreneurship. In this interview, she shares the story behind Saudagull, her experience using Loyverse POS, and her vision for the future.
When did you start your business, and what products do you sell?
We opened the food truck in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We started by selling traditional Icelandic lamb soup, waffles made from my grandmother’s recipe, and homemade ice cream. The story behind the ice cream is quite interesting. Initially, I made only sheep’s milk ice cream because, in Iceland, we are the only producers of sheep’s milk products. Later, I expanded my range to include regular ice cream, which I now also supply to restaurants in the area.
Everything we serve from the food truck is homemade, and that is a very important part of our philosophy. I have a kitchen where I prepare the soup, and we make fresh waffle batter every day. I even bake the bread that we serve with the soup. Everything is made from scratch, and we take great pride in that.
What inspired you to start this type of business?
I have always been passionate about good food, a passion I inherited especially from my father and his mother.
I moved to Iceland in 2016, and since I am not originally from here, I initially wanted to work in tourism. I really enjoy interacting with people from different cultures, learning about different languages, and speaking them.
Eventually, these two passions came together and inspired me to open a small café or, in this case, a food truck. That combination of my love for food and my interest in different cultures was the main inspiration behind Saudagull.
What were some of the challenges you faced after opening your food truck?
Running a business on my own is challenging, especially when you are trying to grow it gradually, step by step.
However, I would say the biggest challenge is operating in such a remote area. Everything we need for supplies is at least a 30-minute drive away. Access to water and electricity can also be challenging, and then there is the weather. If you run a food truck in Iceland, you are very exposed to the elements, and the weather can change dramatically.
You have to be flexible and adapt your business to the conditions. On colder or rainy days, you might sell more hot chocolate and soup, while on sunny days, ice cream becomes more popular. You need to adjust your offerings according to the weather and what customers are looking for.
Do you have employees working in the food truck, or do you manage everything yourself?
I have employees now, but when I first started, it was just me.
Of course, my family has always supported me, and they continue to do so. Today, I have a full-time employee during the summer months. As I mentioned, we have been growing gradually, taking small steps every year.
Did you start using Loyverse when you opened the food truck, or did you implement it later?
I actually implemented Loyverse this summer, so I am still relatively new to the system. We started using it in May.
So far, I am quite happy with it because it makes it easy for me to monitor the business even when I am somewhere else. I really appreciate being able to access the system remotely, change prices when necessary, and add new items to the menu. That flexibility is very convenient for me.
Did you try other POS systems before deciding to use Loyverse?
I have not personally tested other systems, but I worked in the hospitality industry for several years before starting my business. During that time, I became familiar with some of the systems used in Iceland, such as DK and Dineout.
However, I was never entirely satisfied with them, particularly because of their costs. I also find Loyverse much more flexible and better suited to my needs.
What improvements have you noticed in your daily operations since implementing Loyverse, apart from being able to manage your business remotely?
I think the system has made things easier and more secure for my staff. They can simply select an item from the menu and process the payment much more easily. The whole process is faster, and there is less risk of entering the wrong price.
Previously, we used an old cash register, and everything was much more manual. Now, the payment process is quicker, and we can also print kitchen orders directly, which helps speed up our operations even further.
Overall, Loyverse has made the work easier for my employees and more efficient for the business.
Since you operate in a remote area, do you often use Loyverse’s offline mode?
We currently use a regular 4G connection and have managed to stay connected to the internet all the time, so we have not really needed to use the offline mode.
Are you using any of Loyverse’s add-on features?
Yes, I am using Unlimited Sales History and Employee Management. I have added my employees to the system and configured their roles and corresponding access rights.
I have not had the opportunity to test the timecard functionality yet. I am also trying to set up Advanced Inventory because I have both a production kitchen and the food truck. I would like to be able to monitor the stock in each location and manage it more effectively.
Have you created two separate stores in your account, one for the food truck and another for the kitchen?
I initially set up two separate stores, but for now, I have kept only the food truck in the system because I realized I did not have enough time to configure everything properly.
However, I am very interested in setting this up more effectively as the season progresses. I believe it would help me manage inventory and keep better track of stock across my different locations.
What is your favorite feature in Loyverse?
At the moment, my favorite feature is the Dashboard, particularly the ability to monitor the business remotely and keep track of what is happening online.
Which report do you rely on the most?
I rely most on the Sales by Item report because it helps me manage the stock in the food truck. It shows me what sells best and helps me determine what I need to prepare.
For example, I offer many different ice cream flavors, and I am particularly curious to see which ones sell best this year. Based on those results, I can decide which flavors to produce in larger or smaller quantities next year.
How do you promote your business?
I use several channels to promote the business. I have separate social media accounts for the food truck and the ice cream, as well as a website.
The food truck is also listed on Google and TripAdvisor, and I use Instagram and Facebook to reach customers. In addition, I advertise through printed materials and an Icelandic association that I belong to.
I try to use a variety of channels to reach as many potential customers as possible.
Have you built a loyal customer base through Loyverse?
Most of our customers are tourists rather than regular local customers or personal acquaintances. I would say that approximately 99.9% of our customers are tourists.
Does Iceland receive tourists throughout the year, or is there a specific season when tourism is busiest?
Tourism in Iceland varies depending on the region. I am based in East Iceland, which is a rural area, so our season is relatively short. It generally runs from mid-April to the end of September, with July and August being the busiest months.
Other parts of the country, particularly the capital area, receive tourists for a larger part of the year. However, tourism in the eastern part of Iceland is much more seasonal.
Do you change your food truck menu during the quieter months?
The food truck is open only from May until approximately mid-October. During the other months, the weather conditions often make it impossible to operate. For someone who has never visited Iceland, it can be difficult to imagine just how challenging the weather can be.
However, as I mentioned earlier, I also produce sheep’s milk products. After closing the food truck, I focus on making chocolate and cheese from sheep’s milk in the lead-up to Christmas.This allows me to continue working with my products even when the food truck is closed.
What business philosophy have you followed over the past five years?
My philosophy is to offer high-quality food made with passion. I want to give people a memorable experience of the places they visit through food and help them connect with the local area through what they eat.
Being flexible and adapting to Icelandic weather and the challenges of operating in a remote location are also essential parts of my approach.
I believe you can only truly succeed at something if you enjoy doing it. I genuinely love what I do, and I love making people smile with good food. Seeing customers enjoy their experience is the best feedback and reward I could ask for.
What are your plans for the future?
We have considered opening a restaurant, but we are also thinking about expanding by opening additional food trucks in the area.
One idea we have been discussing is opening a second food truck focused more specifically on ice cream and waffles. It is something we are considering for the future.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs reading this article?
I would say: start small and take things step by step. Be kind to yourself throughout the process of starting a business.
Stay open-minded, see where the journey takes you, and adapt along the way. Most importantly, do what you love and stay committed to what you genuinely enjoy. I think that is very important.
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