Is there anything more beautiful about the American dream than opening your own ice cream shop?
Especially when you realize what you think you dream in the corporate world?
This is how the 43-year-old Tamara Kiff left, and he resigned from the job of a $70 million senior brand manager at Abbott Nutrition, ensuring Clementine\'s naughty and
Louis, Missouri
With three units now, Keefe has won several best ice cream awards including cream cake, salty caramel and vegan chocolate coconut fudge.
I interviewed Keefe to learn about her decision to make the transition from a corporate safety net to handmade ice cream production.
Q: Why do you want to go from a stable, high
Pay for the work of the company to seize such an opportunity to make ice cream?
I have been making ice cream all my life.
When I was a child, ice cream completely changed my community consciousness and therefore my self-consciousness.
We grew up below the poverty line.
After Sunday\'s church, other families in our community will meet at the local ice cream shop.
I remember dragging my mom\'s clothes and begging her to have ice cream with us because I didn\'t know that traveling to the ice cream shop would be a financial burden for our seven families.
I can still feel the sting of loneliness from other members who can\'t join our community.
One day we stopped at a garage auction.
We bought our clothes there)
My mom ran into an old hand.
Purchased the crank ice cream maker for $2 and decided to come home with us.
That\'s the day my life will change forever.
Our family made ice cream together, and the sweetest tradition followed.
The news of our amazing creations spread, and soon, the families of the church began to gather in our house, each with different ingredients instead of going out for ice cream.
I go from social zero to hero!
My whole community consciousness has changed because of ice cream.
All of a sudden, I had friends I had never had before, was invited to the party and became very popular.
I found the power of the ice cream and I didn\'t even realize it.
By 2014, I was running a $70 million business, traveling to and from St.
Louis to Columbus, work 60-70-
Climb the ladder of the company successfully.
Dream job, big company, big responsibility, high salary
Everything I wanted until I didn\'t.
I am exhausted, unhappy, single, have no children, have no family, rarely see my friends, I am in pain. On a much-
It took the weekend and one of my closest friends turned to me because I cried and said I should quit.
I asked in confusion, what would I do?
My other girlfriend commented, \"you always complain about St.
Louis doesn\'t have great ice cream or ice cream shops, you are very happy when making ice cream, no one is doing better than you, so do it.
\"So that weekend, four of us wrote my business and marketing plan, sorted out my financial situation, and I resigned two weeks later.
I think, what is the worst thing that could happen?
Yes, I may fail, but I am perfect for work and can go back.
I have nothing to lose but my pride and money.
The rest is history.
I attended the ice cream Academy at Penn State in early 2014 \".
I didn\'t really start creating new things in the market.
I started to create something better.
Working in the food industry, I know how big the CPGs [are]
Consumer goods manufacturers]
How do they reframe cost cuts, confuse and destroy consumers.
I know I don\'t want.
I want to do it in a different way based on my values, but a profitable way.
I want to create a culture and appreciate the manufacturers, bakers and creative people. I had 20-
Coupled with years of marketing experience, working closely with sensory science, product development, packaging groups, food chemists, food scientists to create and launch new products for the CPG big brands, spent a lot of time in and around food manufacturing facilitiesSigma Green-
I know food safety very well . . . . . . What that means, and the importance of doing things in the right and safe way.
It\'s a perfect storm, so to speak.
I\'m a trained taster.
When I first started, the naughty part came true.
A customer asked me if I could inject some rum into my taste.
I said it was impossible.
He followed me all the time, and it penetrated into my subconscious mind, and I began to think, \"How can I do this?
\"After all, I have been exposed to the best food scientists, chemists and product developers in the world.
I am very familiar with many new and emerging technologies in the food sector and how people use them creatively.
I got my closest friends together and drank a few bottles of wine and I started connecting these dots and trying until we found something very innovative.
Once I realized that we had something, I knew it was an opportunity and a very good one, in which there was little innovation since Diping point was invented. So, I course-
I go to correct, re-evaluate and close.
I named my ice cream after a beloved friend of my grandmother, the most sophisticated woman I know.
Q: What is the difference between your ice cream compared to the national brand?
TK: the naughty and delicious cream of Clementine is named around the two types of ice cream we make. Naughty (boozy)and Nice (non-boozy).
We have a deal.
The secret process of injecting up to 18% of alcohol into ice cream.
Our ice cream was really drunk.
There are several companies trying to wear hats when making drunken ice cream, but the amount they use is small, which is not notable, or they use liquor flavors, or they cooked everything, so it was a bit distorted.
In addition, we are a few micro
The nursery in this country.
In order to be a member, you must be qualified.
First of all, it must be a small batch product made with a real ice cream machine (batch freezer)
Not some large continuous.
Robot Machine, pump thousands of gallons of products in a few minutes, no one see, taste or quality check.
I like to say that our products are made by real people who are full of love, care and care for the quality and taste of the products.
Crafting also means that everything in the ice cream has to be handmade.
If there is a pie, cake or cookie in it, we will make it, bake it and see it clearly.
We add salt to our caramel and sugar the pecans.
Or, for some flavors, we work together to support another local artisan manufacturer and use their products in it. \"All-
\"Natural\" means that the cream does not require the use of artificial ingredients, we are the only ice cream manufacturer in Missourinatural. A micro-
The cream must have a limit of less than 30%, a technical term that describes the air entering the ice cream.
Large commercial ice cream makers and most local ice cream shops use a 100% overrun, which means that the pint you get in the store is actually only 50% ice cream;
The rest is the air.
Is there a cone that melts instantly?
This is a good example of 100% overrun.
Large commercial brands and most ice cream shops do this in order to get more sales with fewer products.
Our ice cream is about 26-
28% overflow, so when you taste the scent of our pints and compare it to the other, we are heavier and more dense.
Buttercream is an ingredient in ice cream that gives the ice cream a rich flavor, creamy or smooth texture, body and ability to melt less quickly.
It will cover your tongue and keep the taste going and bring you a good creamy flavor.
In addition, it also comes with other flavors in the ice cream, so you can enjoy a longer period of time and make your aftertaste endless.
But it is very expensive compared to using 10% of milk fat, which is used by large commercial manufacturers.
All of our ice creams are 16-
18% butter fat, that\'s why they are so decadent.
Q: Did the company accept it?
Brands like Haagen city
The original product was broken by Dazs?
Yes, corporate acquisitions and current venture capital firms often undermine the integrity of the product.
They are guided by as much profit as possible that they patch it up a little bit, a common one before you know it
Packer is making this product and it is no longer what it used to be.
This is completely different.
Ice cream at 99. 995% of all U. S.
Ice cream manufacturers use a pre-made mixture of dry mixed bags filled with artificial colors, spices, fillers, lotions, etc.
Started-to-
Completed in 25 minutes.
Authentic Ice Cream takes a long time and is much more expensive to make.
It will take us three days to make a batch of ice cream.
For the modern millennials we target
Dazs is an iconic name with a huge market and sales heritage;
However, in terms of products that stimulate taste and taste, it is no longer a benchmark.
In general, in the CPG world, especially in the food industry, traditional wisdom will determine the company\'s acquisition of brands such as Groupon.
Dazs is a good thing.
In the past, scale was one of the most important factors for success; however, e-
Business and direct salesto-
Consumer brands have made the competitive environment fair, allowing smaller brands to reach consumers without the need to fight for limited shelf space, or to invest heavily in their brands
In addition, millennials are asking for new levels of transparency in the products and bodies they deliver.
This transparency is best done by on-
Fast-growing brands, consumers see this as a more real story, or healthier, fresher and greener
Friendly service.
For me, a pint of ice cream is always the volume of 16 ounces.
January, 2009-
Dazs reduced the volume of a pint from 16 ounces to 14 ounces on the grounds of rising costs.
This is \"customer betrayal\". I will never buy a \"pint\" of Groupon again. Dazs.
Q: Do you have any regulations on wine, tobacco tax and trade bureau in ice cream?
TK: Yes, about the volume, the weight and whether or not it is considered a drink or food.
In addition, it depends on whether the manufacturer is looking for a tax refund, which means a tax refund for the alcohol purchased.
At the beginning, we spent a lot of money and time sending all our naughty ice cream to TTB for analysis.
We work with their team to develop and understand the impact of overrun and fat on alcohol weight and volume.
We had a liquor license at the beginning because we thought we had to do that, but eventually the TTB decided that our ice cream was a food, not a drink, we didn\'t shake in our store, which naturally turned the form into a drink.
From the beginning, based on my own values, I chose not to sample or serve people under the age of 21.
This is going on in all of our stores, although technically we don\'t have.
It\'s worth mentioning that it\'s also a great marketing tool as young people now look forward to sharing their \"21\" with us so they can try and enjoy Clement\'s drunken ice cream.
Q: explain: all use of Clement\'s milk comes from the local areafed, pasture-Elevated hormoneand RBST-free cows.
TK: we work with small dairy farmers who choose to raise cattle in a different way than large business partners.
By using local dairy, Grassfed, pasture-
Hormone and RBST-
Free cow, you are from the purest and most delicious non
Fresh dairy products you can imagine.
Therefore, our basic dairy products are cleaner, richer and more creamy.
It is healthier and tastes better, which is good for both cows and our environment.
Q: How do you invest?
Are you totally private?
I am myself.
Funded and owned by me.
So far I have invested nearly £ 500 from my personal savings, cashed my £ 401 and continued to grow from profits.
As we take more advantage of our momentum and take advantage of market opportunities, we will consider smart external investments that will help us become a national brand.
Q: Is the new ice cream market in the United States unlimited?
What is your current overall America? S. sales?
TK: in the United States, there is never a barrier for an excellent product to achieve its promise.
The market value of ice cream is $14 billion.
But overall consumption in the United StatesS. is declining.
On the other hand, the process part continues to grow.
I think consumers are fascinated by all the newcomers and their innovative market positioning.
They enter the market to stimulate growth, stimulate the power of excellence and difference, are producing better products, especially in vegetarian, lowcarb and micro-
Creamery is rapidly gaining market share from big brands.
As long as the artisan ice cream business continues to provide customers with what they desire --
In the super-consolidated ice cream market, the representation of flavors, ingredients and experiences is insufficient
Then there is no limit to its growth.
I opened my first store in May 2015, the second in July 20, and my third month in May 2019, how about our fourth in July.
So far, our sales are about $2 million.
My initial goal was to get $10 million in revenue from 12 stores and get into grocery channel in five years with the ultimate goal of $50 million, 50 stores, grocery and online expansion after 10 years.
That said, unless we have a better chance than I have planned for us now.
Q: But will the expansion across the country affect today\'s small hand-made companies? TK: For us, no;
We will be better than we are now.
Currently we have different expansion plans and see another handmade ice cream maker on the west coast, and we have a lot of respect for how they expand.
Their values reflect our values.
They chose to expand with heart and truth.
The final result will be to exist nationwide without compromising the best part of the small.
I can\'t wait to know \"how high!
