Hardware Podcasts

Dippin' Dots: Curt Jones

How I Built This · 9 Sept 2019 · 1h 06m

What this episode covers

Kurt Jones, founder of Dippin' Dots, explains how he used liquid nitrogen to flash-freeze ice cream into pellets, turning a lab experiment into a $300 million brand sold in theme parks and malls. He details the early struggles of bootstrapping with credit card debt, the pivot to a kiosk model at Opryland, and the franchise expansion that peaked in 2006. Jones also describes the catastrophic loss of his company due to a costly patent lawsuit against Mini Melts, rising commodity costs, and the 2008 financial crisis, which forced him into bankruptcy and eventually out of the business he created. He concludes by discussing his new venture, 40 Below Joe, which applies similar liquid nitrogen technology to freeze espresso shots.

Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up and large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Alltech biotechnology, Opryland, Chaparral Energy
Products
Dippin' Dots, Mini Melts, 40 Below Joe, Bohana
Also
Kennedy Space Center

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