I visited Ben Van Leeuwen at his Brooklyn-based ice cream factory! They have a truly remarkable story, starting from a single ice cream truck 10yrs ago, to building an epic brand with a cult following.

They’ve since grown to a $20mil business, going from 15 stores to 25 in the next few months after taking investment for the first time. They’ve also grown their wholesale business where they now sell their ice cream in over 1000 stores across 44 states.

We discuss their humble beginnings, meeting his co-founder, falling in love, a focus on product excellence by sourcing the very best ingredients & you’ll hear what it took to build their business with zero investment after their modest friends and family round.

SHOW NOTES

Here are five things to listen out for:

(1) Travel – Ben leaving college to travel and explore the world.

(2) Kaizen vs 10x Moonshot Thinking – continuous improvement in all aspects of their company vs a mindset of massive transformational change

(3) Starting a business with his wife & brother – navigating a breakup, working with family & how they’ve made Van Leeuwen a huge success

(4) Product & Customer Excellence – focusing on using only the very best ingredients & bringing joy to their customers

(5) Growth – stories from starting their first ice cream truck to growing to 25 stores & 44 states & why they decided to take major investment for the first time

Times Stamps

3:02 – Who is Ben Van Leeuwen
3:58 – How did Ben get into ice cream
10:45 – Where Ben’s food awareness came from
13:23 – Ben’s parents and his upbringing
16:56 – How Ben developed his entrepreneurial spirit
18:00 – The “ice cream idea”
20:44 – Being healthy in an ice cream world
23:46 – Ben’s travel memories
26:38 – Ben’s craftsmanship in his work
29:35 – Company values
30:54 – Ben meeting his cofounder
33:10 – How the company began
36:21 – Writing initial business plan
42:09 – Logo, branding and naming
45:55 – Tactically building your team
48:34 – Beginnings of the business
50:25 – Putting the best ingredients into their first chocolate ice cream
55:47 – First real day of business
65:19 – What the business looks like today – 15-25 stores, selling in 1000 stores across 44 states
67:02 – Ben’s thoughts on expansion
70:38 – First year revenue numbers
71:33 – Focus moving forward
73:30 – Working with brother and wife
74:35 – Working with ex-wife
75:42 – Difficulties with raising money
79:18 – Dealing with rejection
80:58 – 20 years from now…
83:45 – Admirable trait: not taking shortcuts
84:54 – Other products for Ben to explore
86:29 – Final remarks and advice

Ben Van Leeuwen, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream // From An NYC Truck To Cult Brand In 44 States

Creator Lab - interviews with entrepreneurs and startup founders

Ben Van Leeuwen, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream // From An NYC Truck To Cult Brand In 44 States