The Consumer VC
He Launched a Tiny Ice Cream Factory, Now It’s a National Brand Ft. Alec Jaffe
AI Summary
In this episode, Mike Gelb talks with Alec Jaffe, founder of Alec’s Ice Cream, about creating a premium, gut‑friendly ice cream brand using A2 dairy and regenerative sourcing. Alec explains how he built a farm‑to‑factory supply chain, differentiated real ice cream from frozen desserts, and leveraged a viral TikTok campaign for his Culture Cups to break into both natural and mass retail. He also shares the challenges of vertical integration, scaling two product lines in a tiny factory, navigating the fiercely competitive freezer aisle, and raising an $11 million Series A to fuel growth.
Why It Matters
The story proves that health‑focused, sustainably sourced premium ice cream can capture mainstream demand, reshaping a traditionally indulgent category and attracting significant venture capital.
Episode Description
Glimpse is the all-in-one, AI-powered deductions management platform for CPG brands—automating deduction capture, classification, disputes, and accounting. Recover more revenue while saving time – https://www.tryglimpse.com
Ice cream is supposed to make you feel good — but most of what’s in the freezer aisle doesn’t.
In this episode, Mike chats with Alec Jaffe, Founder and CEO of Alec’s Ice Cream, the A2 dairy, gut-friendly, regeneratively sourced ice cream brand that’s redefining what “premium” means in frozen. Alec started making ice cream in elementary school, but the real journey began when he realized the market was filled with products that either tasted great or made you feel great — but never both.
Alec breaks down how he built his supply chain from scratch, why A2 dairy is helping people enjoy ice cream again, what makes frozen dessert different from real ice cream, and how Culture Cups became a breakout product that went viral on TikTok and lifted the entire brand. He also shares the realities of running his own factory, scaling two product lines in a tiny production space, and navigating the brutally competitive freezer aisle.
You’ll learn:
✅ Why A2 dairy is changing the way people digest ice cream
✅ How to build a supply chain around family farms & regenerative agriculture
✅ The difference between ice cream and frozen dessert
✅ How Alec broke into natural retail and then crossed into mass
✅ Why vertical integration is both a blessing and a challenge
✅ How Culture Cups went viral on TikTok and sold out on Day 1
✅ What makes the frozen aisle one of the hardest categories in CPG
✅ How dairy demand is shifting — and why supply can’t keep up
✅ When it really makes sense for a food brand to raise venture capital
👉 If you’re building a food or beverage brand, this episode is a masterclass in supply chain, product development, retail strategy, and category differentiation.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:00 Alec’s childhood obsession with making ice cream
03:30 Unlocking “high-quality ice cream” with simple ingredients05:00 Why A2 dairy helps people enjoy ice cream again
06:45 Ice cream vs frozen dessert explained
08:00 Building relationships with local family farms
09:20 Starting local & breaking into natural retail
10:50 Moving into Whole Foods & finding a tiny factory
13:00 How Culture Cups were created
14:20 The TikTok post that changed everything
15:30 Crossing from natural into mass retail
17:00 Pricing strategy for premium products
19:00 Why investors fear frozen food
20:30 How Culture Cups shifted investor perception
22:00 The realities of running your own factory
24:00 Managing two product lines under one roof
26:00 The dairy demand surge & supply challenges
28:30 The future of regenerative agriculture
31:00 Competing in the brutally competitive freezer aisle
34:00 Why ice cream is one of the hardest categories in retail
36:00 Thoughts on protein ice cream
38:00 Alec’s flavor development process
40:00 How he evaluated the right VC partners
42:00 Why he raised an $11M Series A
45:00 What’s next for Alec’s Ice Cream
48:00 Book recommendations: Shoe Dog, Endurance, Ramping Your Brand
📬 Subscribe for more founder stories & scaling insights:
👉 The Consumer VC Newsletter – https://www.theconsumervc.com/
Follow Mike Gelb:Twitter / IG / TikTok → @mikegelb / @consumervc
Show Notes
Glimpse is the all-in-one, AI-powered deductions management platform for CPG brands—automating deduction capture, classification, disputes, and accounting. Recover more revenue while saving time – https://www.tryglimpse.com
Ice cream is supposed to make you feel good — but most of what’s in the freezer aisle doesn’t.
In this episode, Mike chats with Alec Jaffe, Founder and CEO of Alec’s Ice Cream, the A2 dairy, gut-friendly, regeneratively sourced ice cream brand that’s redefining what “premium” means in frozen. Alec started making ice cream in elementary school, but the real journey began when he realized the market was filled with products that either tasted great or made you feel great — but never both.
Alec breaks down how he built his supply chain from scratch, why A2 dairy is helping people enjoy ice cream again, what makes frozen dessert different from real ice cream, and how Culture Cups became a breakout product that went viral on TikTok and lifted the entire brand. He also shares the realities of running his own factory, scaling two product lines in a tiny production space, and navigating the brutally competitive freezer aisle.
You’ll learn:
✅ Why A2 dairy is changing the way people digest ice cream
✅ How to build a supply chain around family farms & regenerative agriculture
✅ The difference between ice cream and frozen dessert
✅ How Alec broke into natural retail and then crossed into mass
✅ Why vertical integration is both a blessing and a challenge
✅ How Culture Cups went viral on TikTok and sold out on Day 1
✅ What makes the frozen aisle one of the hardest categories in CPG
✅ How dairy demand is shifting — and why supply can’t keep up
✅ When it really makes sense for a food brand to raise venture capital
👉 If you’re building a food or beverage brand, this episode is a masterclass in supply chain, product development, retail strategy, and category differentiation.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:00 Alec’s childhood obsession with making ice cream
03:30 Unlocking “high-quality ice cream” with simple ingredients05:00 Why A2 dairy helps people enjoy ice cream again
06:45 Ice cream vs frozen dessert explained
08:00 Building relationships with local family farms
09:20 Starting local & breaking into natural retail
10:50 Moving into Whole Foods & finding a tiny factory
13:00 How Culture Cups were created
14:20 The TikTok post that changed everything
15:30 Crossing from natural into mass retail
17:00 Pricing strategy for premium products
19:00 Why investors fear frozen food
20:30 How Culture Cups shifted investor perception
22:00 The realities of running your own factory
24:00 Managing two product lines under one roof
26:00 The dairy demand surge & supply challenges
28:30 The future of regenerative agriculture
31:00 Competing in the brutally competitive freezer aisle
34:00 Why ice cream is one of the hardest categories in retail
36:00 Thoughts on protein ice cream
38:00 Alec’s flavor development process
40:00 How he evaluated the right VC partners
42:00 Why he raised an $11M Series A
45:00 What’s next for Alec’s Ice Cream
48:00 Book recommendations: Shoe Dog, Endurance, Ramping Your Brand
📬 Subscribe for more founder stories & scaling insights:
👉 The Consumer VC Newsletter – https://www.theconsumervc.com/
Follow Mike Gelb:Twitter / IG / TikTok → @mikegelb / @consumervc
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