It’s difficult to do business in Venezuela because it is suffering from a political crisis and economic woes. But one company is succeeding by treating Caracas to a familiar sweet — with a novel twist.

CGTN’s Juan Carlos Lamas reports.

N7 is revolutionizing Venezuela’s ice cream market. Its owners were inspired on a visit to America after seeing how nitrogen could be used to make ice cream.

“From the crisis, there’s always an opportunity. So that’s what we saw, an opportunity to bring something new to the country, something nobody has seen here, and to explode the potential that it has,”  said N7 Owner John Machado.

By using only Venezuelan products, like locally-sourced tropical fruit, candy and chocolate, the store hopes to highlight the positive aspects of the country. For many customers, its the scientific twist on the classic dessert that draws them in.

“While other companies are closing their doors, I’m happy to see others like N7 still believe in Venezuela. The ice cream with nitrogen is a novelty, they are exquisite,” Taxi Driver Ivan Hernandez said.

“It’s something different, quick to make and the flavor is really good,” Student Eduardo Pereira said.

The difference is there’s no ice cream tub to scoop from. A blast of liquid nitrogen makes the creamy creation right in front of the customers. The  negative 195-degree Celsius temperature makes it freeze faster. The owners say it also makes it taste better.

Unlike traditional ice cream parlors, this store doesn’t need to freeze its product for hours. That’s an added advantage in a country where power cuts (and ruined ice cream) are common.

With Venezuela facing a deep economic crisis, business opportunities can be hard to come by. N7 is bucking the trend, and showing creativity is often the key to succeed in difficult times.