Sep 25, 2025 - Food and Drink
Get DIY snow cones with Big Wheel Beverages
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If you want a snow cone from Big Wheel Beverages, you have to earn it.
The intrigue: The Boulder-based company runs a DIY snow cone machine that operates like a hamster wheel.
- It's a popular attraction at festivals, corporate events and schools. And yes, it can be configured to pour alcoholic iced drinks, too.
How it works: The wheel powers a vertical drive shaft that turns an ice grinder. The faster you go, the faster the cup fills.
- Once full, you turn a crank to move it down the assembly line to a row of flavored syrups that pour with the press of a button.
What they're saying: Katrin Iken bought the machine from the company Be The Hamster, based in Florida. It's so popular she now has two, and it's a full-time job.
- "The parents love it because the kids are physically touching it… and making their own thing," Iken said.