You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream; except, its not ice cream this time. Its Al Ice!
Al Ice is an almond milk based frozen dessert that was founded by three millennial entrepreneurs: Buster Milani, Marion Noovao-McCamish, and Matt Billington. Since launching the product in 2015 the group of students, who call themselves Olelei, new flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, and berry have been added. The product sells in local food stores and they produce 150-200 units per month but they have plans to expand to meet demand.
The idea was launched when CEO Matt Billington noticed many milk and soy based ice cream-like products on the market but no products with almond milk. With so many dairy and soy allergies popping up these days this product fits right in with the needs of the market. The success of Al Ice has garnered several awards in addition to their sales. Al Ice took third place in the 2015 Young Enterprise Awards and second place in the 2016 Young Enterprise Awards as well as the group Olelei receiving the Pacific Peoples Excellence in Business Award.
With the market demand for sweet treats and allergen conscious alternatives, Al Ice could have a promising future and that is only helped by the youthful vision and determination of its founders.
By Daniel Hagan, 2018
It is so cool to see that three young students could see a hole in the market and do something about it. Great post!
I think the cool thing about a business like this is there is a secondary audience outside of people who need the product. I know a lot of people who prefer this type of ice cream because they feel better after eating it, even if they do not have a health problem that prevents them from eating dairy.
It’s really interesting how they took a problem that has been partially solved and completely solved it. This type of thinking is something that is so important to entrepreneurs! Nice post!
Does Al Ice specifically target the youth?
Almond milk based ice cream sounds so good. I imagine it has to be a little more nutritious than normal ice cream?