The shadows of the great depression clung to America in 1936, and a New Orleans neighborhood grocer was struggling to keep his business afloat. Noticing a gathering of customers at a nearby snow cone business, George J. Ortolano, son of Sicilian immigrants, was inspired to add this inexpensive treat to his grocery store to generate additional income.

George Ortolano proudly stands in front of his corner grocery where he first used his SnoWizard machine in 1937.

      George, however, was resolved to create a machine that would produce a fine, fluffy shaven snow, similar to that made with blocks of ice and a hand-plane ice shaver. His efforts were successful and his subsequent invention of a simple but ingenious machine transformed blocks of ice used in the household icebox into mounds of delicate snow-like flakes, unlike the crunchy ice crystals from that snow cone machine.

     Temporarily devoting his mechanical skills to the creation of ships during the Second World War, he acquainted other family members with his machine, who in turn introduced the product into their grocery stores. The tasty and unique concoction attracted a slow but steady stream of customers.

Drawing of the improved machine titled the Ice Commando, as shown in the lower left corner.

     Regulars buying snow balls at the Ortolano’s grocery store became fascinated with George’s invention. He soon began receiving requests for the machine from those who wanted to start their own businesses. George set about to improve his early wooden machine design for commercial use and production. Incorporating knowledge gained through his shipyard experience, he began development of a new model built of galvanized metal. George needed a name for his invention and he considered many, one of which was the Ice Commando. However, he appropriately named his invention the Snow-Wizard Snow-Ball Machine because he said it was “like magic the way it turned blocks of ice into fine, fluffy snow.”

Blueprints drawn in 1948 of the new and improved all metal Snow Wizard Snow Ball machine.

     As the demand for his Snow Wizard machine increased, so did the time that George invested in manufacturing them. He abandoned the grocery business soon thereafter to devote his full energies to the fledgling enterprise. Manufacturing most all of his machine parts by hand, George was compelled to automate production to keep apace with sales. Blueprints were drawn to standardize the parts and automate assembly, and stainless steel replaced the galvanized metal.

     His newly redesigned machine warranted a modernized and distinct name, so the two words of “Snow Wizard” were combined with one “w” being removed. The birth of the New Orleans “SnoBall” evolved from his newly donned SnoWizard^® SnoBall machine. Unknowing to George at that time, he had given birth to a new industry that would gradually expand throughout the entire country and to other parts of the world.

Read what George had to say about his invention.