Halo Top Ice Cream: Justin Woolverton

How I Built This · 17 Apr 2023 · 1h 14m

What this episode covers

Justin Woolverton, founder of Halo Top, explains how he left a lucrative career as a lawyer to bootstrap a low-calorie ice cream brand from his home kitchen. He details the technical challenges of formulating a recipe using stevia and egg whites that remained scoopable, the struggle to secure co-packers and distribution, and the pivotal viral moment caused by a GQ article that drove 2,500% growth. Woolverton discusses the subsequent influx of copycat competitors, his decision to sell the company to Wells Enterprises while burnt out, and the personal impact of sudden wealth.

Mentioned

Companies
Wells Enterprises, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Kroger, Target, Unilever, Ferrero, Latham & Watkins, Erewhon, Bristol Farms
Products
Halo Top, Ben and Jerry's, Häagen-Dazs, Eden Creamery, Blue Bunny
Tools
Cuisinart
Materials
Stevia
Also
GQ, Facebook, Instagram

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