When lockdown hit, Skye Noman was simply a student at the University of South Wales studying psychology with counselling who had an affinity for milkshakes. Now, two years later, her love of the treat has seen her become the owner of a booming family-run business in which she makes extravagant "freakshakes" that have got people flocking from all over to try these indulgent and delicious drinks.
Oh My Shakes was created as a way of putting smiles on people's faces through such a difficult time during the Covid-19 pandemic, Skye, who hails from Cardiff, tells us, as well as way of filling the free time she had when she wasn't studying at home for her course. She said: "It was quite a horrendous time for everybody so I came up with this idea of creating such a product that would then be able to be delivered to just add that extra kindness to somebody's day."
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She adds of how the business came about: "Personally, I love a milkshake. So, as nothing was open, I created my own at home. And then at the time, there was lots of people doing sweet boxes, cupcakes and stuff. I thought 'Do you know what, I'll put all that on top of this drink that I've made at home'. I did that and then I took an image of it and posted it on my social media and - you can imagine everybody was glued to their phones at that time - a lot of people were asking me 'where did you get that' and 'where have you found those' and 'where do they sell them?' And so, I thought I'll give it a go!"
Living at the time on a student's wage, Skye tells us that she turned to her parents for help - temporarily - in bringing the idea to life. And while her now business partners "couldn't believe it" when Oh My Shakes came to fruition, Skye explains: "I was a student, so my finances were student-type finances. So I went to them and said: 'I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna go down to the shop and grab some ingredients, can I borrow some money?' And they were like 'Yeah. But if it works, obviously give us the money back'.
"By the time it came to a year, I was able to have enough money for a house deposit. I could more than give them back what they needed. I'm 22 now, I've just finished studying, obviously self-employed and just bought my own property. I always say that anything is possible if you try.
"At that time, it was the hardest time for everybody but I believed I could do it. And I did. So as long as you believe, you will achieve. It's my little motto.
"The main aim of it was just to brighten up people's day during the difficulty of the time. I didn't plan to continue it and obviously now it's been going for two years. Which is fantastic."
As for the business's name, Oh My Shakes, the 22-year-old explains that it came from a heartfelt and organic place: "With the freakshakes, there's doughnuts on them, extra cream... they're a real freakshake so they're all topped with crazy stuff. Once you receive them, you get the wow factor. So people would open their doors like 'oh wow' and 'oh my', so then I came up with Oh My Shakes."
After making an Instagram page for the goods - which cater for both vegan ("No vegans are left behind!") and those following a gluten-free diet: "I involve everybody and include everyone" - which set her up to do local deliveries, she opened a shop in Roath's independent collective in Lakeside which she ran alongside her university studies and saw customers coming to get her creations from Porthcawl to Cornwall.
Now, after the premises needed to be evacuated due to plans for a car park, Skye runs the business with her mum and dad, Hayley and Craig, from her fully decked out T25 Volkswagon campervan which she takes on the road, from food festivals to weddings and other such events.
With a mobile business, allowing her to take Oh My Shakes to locations such as Bristol and Swansea where Skye's freakshakes have been amazingly received, Skye tells us of her big plans for the business.
"The goal is to become franchised. So, we would get more of these T25 Campers, and dot them around. We're going to stay away from the shop side of business just because of the overheads."
And with an ever-growing fan-base, these plans are becoming more and more viable, thanks to the roaring success of the business (Skye has almost 4,000 followers on Instagram and 2,500 on Facebook) after just two years.
And ordering these shakes couldn't be simpler. Just drop the business owner a message on Instagram or Facebook. From there, Skye will take your details and a deposit before the team - made up of Skye and her mum and dad - make your freakshakes and get out on the road to deliver them straight to your door.
And with spooky season upon it, Oh My Shakes is getting ready for a busy Halloween and Christmas. "This is our second Halloween now. We've just created our Halloween range - trying to make really spooky shakes. We've got one with a massive donut on top [of the milkshake] - which looks like a spider."
And with these, you don't even need to leave your house as they will be doing Halloween deliveries in Cardiff and Bristol - what's more is that's not all you'll be getting. Skye said: "We come in the van with it decorated and we're dressed up just to provide that positivity."
Flavours such as nutella - aka Witch please?, Oreo - 'Incy Wincy', white chocolate - 'Ghosted', and Kinder Bueno - or 'Hal - eye- ween' - are just some of what you can expect when you're ordering these collosal shakes from Skye. These can be made vegan, she tells us, thanks to concocting the perfect vegan recipe over the last year.
She adds: "Then we'll do Christmas deliveries dressed as Santa and you can meet Santa with some shakes at the van."
With the cost of living sky-rocketing in the current climate, Skye reassures us that her prices are not going to be changing any time soon. "We tend to keep ours fixed just so it's fair because not everything rises - your monthly wage doesn't rise . We don't tend to put our prices up just for the sake of others."
To order a frightfully delicious Halloween freakshake from Skye, send her a DM on Instagram or Facebook. Delivery slots for these Halloween treats are available from Friday, October 28 to Monday, October 31. For more information, see the Instagram or Facebook page.
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