Specialty Food Magazine

SPRING 2014

Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.

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A n ice cream shop in the tiny African coun- try of Rwanda has its roots across the globe in one of the hippest neigh- borhoods in America. Both Brooklyn, N.Y.'s Blue Marble and Butare, Rwanda's Inzozi Nziza (which translates to "sweet dreams") use ingredients sourced locally in their respective regions, and both exist thanks to founder Alexis Miesen's love of high-quality ice cream and a desire to help those in need. Getting Started… Miesen, a New Yorker working in international development, was fas- cinated by the intersection of private sector and public good and decided to create a business with giving back as part of its DNA. Her busi- ness choice was inspired by a personal need: "I love, love, love ice cream," Miesen declares. She had moved to Brooklyn in 2006, years before the borough became an artisanal mecca. "I used to live in Boston, which has a fantastic tradi- tion of mom-and-pop, made-in-house ice cream shops. I was woeful about the lack of them in New York—not just my new Brooklyn neighborhood but even in Manhattan." Miesen partnered with her good friend, actor Jennie Dundas, to do something about it. "I thought, why don't I start a business that would satisfy my appetite for ice cream and use it as an experiment to see if what I am looking for out in the While still in its early stages, Blue Marble Ice Cream took its concept internationally, helping to create an ice cream shop in Rwanda that provides jobs for local women and books, toys, and treats for children. BY COLLEEN CURTIS Sweet Dreams PHOTO: BLUE MARBLE ICE CREAM 106 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com giving back givingback_S14.indd 106 3/11/14 3:16 PM

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