From brick and mortar to market shelves, Simple Pleasures Ice has done it all. After 20 years of running an ice cream shop, Terri and Rodney decided to take the plunge and dive head first into the CPG business. After great success launching their first flavors earlier in the fall, Terri and Rodney decided their customers were ready for even more. This past December, Simple Pleasures Ice launched three new flavors: Coffee Cardamom, Lemon Custard, and Chocolate ice creams.
Simple Pleasures Ice does more than just provide delicious ice cream- they bring back memories. Their new Lemon Custard flavor is a fan favorite, as it reminds consumers of a flavor from their childhood that they are no longer able to find. “It reminds them of when they were a kid. Apparently there was a local ice cream manufacturer that was known in the community for their lemon custard,” co-founder, Rodney, recalls. Simple Pleasures is able to provide a sensational time machine for their consumers. “We don’t just make ice cream, we make memories,” Rodney tags.
Since making the switch from cafe to CPG retail, Simple Pleasures has noticed just how different the CPG world is from running a local ice cream shop. In the CPG business, building to last, scaling, and projecting are all elements that they had to put more thought into. Rodney recalls that he and Terri were used to thinking solely about day-to-day, or week-to-week operations. In the CPG world, they were challenged to think more about the big picture and how to build their business to last. Rodney recalls how big of a transition this was for them and how much they learned throughout the journey. Through Union Kitchen’s Accelerator, they were provided with the tools and expertise needed to be a successful packaged ice cream food business.
As for what’s next for Simple Pleasures, there are plans in the works. However, those plans are classified for now. In the meantime, check out Simple Pleasures’ new flavors in any of our 6 stores!
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