He was soon hyperventilating and close to fainting. While stuck in a traffic jam, Woolverton had trouble breathing. However, as the dry ice evaporates, it releases carbon dioxide. The dry ice helps to keep the ice cream from melting. Woolverton packed the back seat of his car with ice cream samples stored in dry ice. Before the company took off, he would personally drive samples of his ice cream to sites around LA. Justin Woolverton had a scary experience while delivering Halo Top ice cream. How the Halo Top Founder Almost Died for the Company He BuiltĪlong with struggling to select the right combo of ingredients, Woolverton experienced a few other obstacles, including almost dying. What started as a kitchen recipe was now a carefully developed formula and ready for the market. In the end, he relied on the expertise of leaders in the field and it paid off. Woolverton made a few more changes to his recipe and tried again. The thick formula started passing through aluminum production pipes and quickly jammed the machinery. He ignored their advice and found an ice cream maker that would try his recipe. Ice cream manufacturers tried to tell Woolverton that his formula wouldn’t run through ice cream production pipes. The researchers helped refine the formula, but it was now too thick. He worked with experts to improve his product.īefore going to the dairy institute, the original Halo Top ice cream wasn’t resilient enough for shipping to stores around the country. Woolverton spent the next 18 months trying and tasting various combinations of ingredients.Ī turning point came when Woolverton visited the Dairy Innovation Institute at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. So, how did he make great-tasting low-sugar ice cream? He tried and tried until he got it right. Justin Woolverton isn’t a scientist and doesn’t have a background in the food industry. Making the Perfect Ice Cream Requires Trial and Error But first, he had to fine tune his recipe. So, he decided to try bringing his recipe to consumers. He remembers realizing that other people might enjoy his new ice cream as well. Happy with his creation, Woolverton had a moment of clarity. He eventually splurged and bought a $20 ice cream maker. He’d mix bowls of Greek yogurt with fruit and then add stevia to sweeten the treat. Tired of the bland low-sugar ice creams in the grocery stores, Woolverton started experimenting with his own homemade desserts. He just wanted to eat a pint of ice cream without feeling guilty. Woolverton had no plans to launch a company. The story starts in 2011 with Woolverton working at the LA law firm Latham & Watkins. He wasn’t part of the dairy industry, but he was an ice cream connoisseur. So, how did Woolverton go from mixing ingredients in his kitchen to selling millions of dollars’ worth of ice cream? Let’s take a closer look at his story.Īs with a wide range of successful entrepreneurs over the past decade, Justin Woolverton didn’t have direct industry experience. The company has faced a few legal hurdles, including a lawsuit from a New Jersey Dairy Farm and a class-action lawsuit from an unsatisfied customer.ĭespite some hiccups, Woolverton and his company have persevered. Woolverton was a corporate lawyer by trade, which came in handy as he built his ice cream empire. The man behind the wildly successful ice cream is Justin Woolverton. Insiders predict the deal was potentially worth close to $2 billion. Launched in 2011, Halo Top became an overnight sensation in 2016 and sold to Wells Enterprises in 2019 for an undisclosed sum. It’s a low-sugar ice cream created in a kitchen and now found on store shelves around the world.
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