Ho King-yuen, pioneer of ice cream van in Hong Kong, dies aged 98
Ho and two friends introduced the first Mister Softee ice cream truck to Hong Kong in 1970 and the iconic vehicles have since become a beloved staple and popular tourist attraction in the city.
'With his experience at [ice cream company] Dairy Farm, he imported the first soft ice cream van to Hong Kong from overseas with his friends and founded Mister Softee [here], which brought many precious sweet memories to many generations of Hongkongers and has become a renowned brand in the city,' an obituary published in a local newspaper on Tuesday said.
'He retired at an old age and transferred the business to another company. He then moved to Perth in Western Australia with his family.'
Mister Softee was founded by William Conway and James Conway in 1956 in Philadelphia. It is one of the largest franchisers of soft ice cream in the United States.
According to local media, Ho and two other people bought the franchise rights after seeing a park filled with ice cream trucks during a visit to the United Kingdom.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
50 workers seek HK$600,000 in unpaid wages as another restaurant set to close in Hong Kong
About 50 workers are chasing at least HK$600,000 (US$76,437) in unpaid wages as another Chinese restaurant prepares to shut down next month, amid a string of closures in the Hong Kong catering sector. A notice announcing the imminent closure was posted at Star Seafood and Roasted Goose Restaurant branch at Chuk Yuen Plaza in Wong Tai Sin. 'Due to lease expiration, we plan to close our business on August 1, 2025,' Star Seafood Restaurant Group said. The restaurant has five operating branches, including the one set to shut down. The branches are under Star Seafood Restaurant Group, which was established in 2000, and also operates other brands in Hong Kong, such as Star Seafood Restaurant, Golden Star Restaurant and Star Palace. Lawmaker Lam Chun-sing of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions said on Saturday the closure affected the restaurant's 40 to 50 employees.
The Standard
4 days ago
- The Standard
Deep Water Pavilia II launches 80 flats with 4pc price hike
Cannas Ho, NWD director of sales and marketing for special projects, second from right. SING TAO
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong balances public housing targets with cost-saving measures amid review
Hong Kong authorities are actively seeking ways to reduce the construction costs of public housing, including a review of foundation designs and the postponement of projects facing significant technical challenges, the city's housing minister has revealed. Advertisement Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin assured in an exclusive interview with the Post that the project review would not jeopardise the overall target of supplying 308,000 public flats in the next decade, as any reduction in homes from postponed projects will be offset by an increase from other developments. 'For each of the projects [with more technical challenges] postponed, I must ask my colleagues whether there is something that can be fast-tracked. We cannot postpone everything, or we will lose the target,' she said. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged to cut the waiting time for a public rental home from the current 5.3 years to 4.5 years by 2026-27, prioritising improvements to the city's standard of living. Given the financial difficulties faced by the city's largest public housing provider, the Housing Authority, coupled with the administration's substantial financial deficit and a subdued property market, authorities are now intensifying efforts to lower public housing construction costs. Advertisement Last month, the government postponed an 8,300-flat public housing estate in Fanling, New Territories. Instead, it prioritised other 'more cost-effective' projects in and around the area, which are expected to yield 38,000 homes.
