How would you describe your business in one sentence? 
Making ice cream, creating happiness!
What problem does it solve?
There aren’t many places where you can go with friends, family, by yourself or even for work meetings etc that open into the evening and all weekend, that revolve around happy food and don’t serve alcohol. We wanted to provide an exceptional customer experience with a delightful product, as we believe they go hand in hand, whatever the time of day, for whatever the occasion.
When did you launch and who is behind it?
The business idea germinated in our minds ten years before, but my husband Christopher and I formally started the business in 2018.
When did your ‘lightbulb moment’ happen?
After visiting many restaurants over the years in the U.S we realised that the quality of ice cream and desserts, and even the standard of service wasn’t as great as what we had experienced, and as I was making delicious homemade ice cream for my son anyway we thought, maybe we can do better but in London!
What did you do prior to starting your business?
We were both Chartered Surveyors working in the Central London property office market for 20 years.
What inspired you to launch the business when you did?
Our son had experienced allergies towards dairy products when he was little, so I started making him treats that contained no milk as they weren’t widely available then. He loved ice cream the most, so I kept researching recipes, and the more I studied them, the more I fell in love with the art and science of ice cream. It took a few years, before we resigned from our day jobs, and a lot of training plus a lot of market research to start the business. When we felt almost ready (as nothing prepares you to launch your own business) we rented a great shop in Balham and got to work, eventually opening in early 2019.
What type of support have you received since starting your business?
We have met some great business mentors along the way, who are or were in business for themselves. We were also referred to other professionals which we sought advice from. Ultimately though we support each other, we perform different aspects of the business but always collaborate and come together for the important decisions.
What would you say were three of the most challenging aspects of setting up your business?
Initially it was finding the right premises, as we had spent a lot of time honing and perfecting the recipes we were going to make and getting our branding right at the outset. Secondly, it was building the right team around us; we were really green at the beginning thinking we could do everything pretty much ourselves and got a rude awakening very early on when we realised there wasn’t enough hours in the day to do nearly everything, and the pressure built. Finally, the learning curve is huge at the beginning transitioning from a career with a steady income to one that you are totally out on the cliff edge making all your own decisions and living with the consequences both mentally and financially.
If you had the opportunity to do it all again, what would you do differently?
I’m not sure we would change all that much, as the lessons we learnt, both good and bad, have been valuable. Also not having been in hospitality all our lives meant we weren’t constrained by anything that had gone before or with anyone’s input, it was purely what we valued ourselves for and we put that into practice. Even Covid has allowed us to learn; everyone was going through these totally unchartered waters together. There was no rule book, so we rolled up our sleeves and thought, how do we survive this? With that came great freedom of thought and played to our ethos of working hard and trying to avoid stupidity!
What three tips would you offer to aspiring entrepreneurs?
1. Do your homework – spend a lot of time at the outset really working out all the aspects of your business
2. Listen to advice – you might not always want it or take it, but listen as there are some pearls of wisdom that might just help
3. Surround yourself with great people who are positive – you can’t do everything, everywhere all of the time. Great people will support and hold you up and charge your inner batteries when you need it!
What is your bestselling flavour?
It’s a tie between Vanilla Honeycomb, Best Chocolate Ever and the new kid on the block Brookies and Cream!
Do you live in Wandsworth, if so where in the borough?
Yes, we live in Balham (and before that Clapham) for the past 24 years
Name your favourite independent shops in the borough?
We love Milk for brunch, Megans is great for any time of day, and Brindisa for their deli counter. Lark is great for little presents, and Hoppers for a quick coffee.
What is your favourite Wandsworth eatery?
The Good Earth for an all-round excellent family meal, with great service to boot.
Finish this sentence. I like being based in Wandsworth because…
There are so many green spaces. We have three Commons on our doorstep – it’s a relief from all the hustle and bustle and we have a dog, so it’s good for us to have a break!
What’s your latest venture?
We have just launched the wholesale side of the business. It was a natural next step for us, as we had been asked by chefs and restauranteurs over the years to make ice cream for them, but because our kitchen in Balham wasn’t large enough, we had to say no. Now we have a full “ice creamery” and production kitchen in Brixton we have the capacity. We are currently supplying 14 restaurants, gastro pubs, delicatessens and two hotels.
How can people find you?
Our Balham store is at 191B Balham High Road next to Taro and Co-Op opposite DuCane Court. Our ice creamery and second store is at Arch 545 Brixton Station Road.
Awards:
5 Great Taste Awards
14 National Ice Cream Awards competitions
Wandsworth Women’s Entrepreneur Award – Highly Commended
Featured in The Handbook, Time & Leisure Magazine, The Sauce, County & Townhouse Magazine for best ice cream in London