Today we’d like to introduce you to Gwen Burlingame.
Gwen, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Minus the Moo started because, as a kid, my co-founder Katy, loved ice cream and it was a treat that her family always shared together. As she got older the thing she loved so much started making her sick and she had to face the facts that she was lactose intolerant. Desperate to fill the ice cream void in her life, she tried everything – sorbet, coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk or any other non-dairy alternative out there – but was always left feeling unsatisfied. Not only did they not taste like the creamy, premium ice cream that she grew up with, but no family or friends wanted to share it with her. Why would they eat an alternative, when they could eat real ice cream?
Katy continued this struggle with food through college at Villanova University, where we met! We would go for ice cream study breaks with their other roommates but Katy was always left out. After graduating in 2012, Katy began working as a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit nurse and would use her days off to experiment with making her own lactose-free ice cream from real dairy, instead of alternatives. Despite no previous experience in the food industry, Katy attended the famous Penn State Ice Cream Short Course and used her background in health sciences to develop Minus the Moo’s delicious lactose-free recipes using the lactase enzyme. Finally, Katy had an ice cream that friends and family were willing to enjoy with her. No one had to compromise.
Katy dreamed of bringing her creations to market, convinced that other lactose-intolerant consumers had the same desire for real creamy, premium ice cream. Given my background in marketing, Katy asked me if I wanted to be involved and once I tried it, I knew we were on to something special! We introduced Minus the Moo for the first time in May 2015 as a test at the popular SOWA market in Boston’s South End and have since grown into 170 stores around New England!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I think anyone who has started a business will tell you it is definitely not easy. It is an emotional roller-coaster! In 2016, we quit our full-time jobs to do Minus the Moo full time and I moved from NYC to Boston. It was really scary but we knew that if we wanted the company to be successful we needed to give it our all. Also, neither of us had ever been in the food industry before so learning the ins and outs, while trying to build a business has been overwhelming at times. Although, the constant learning is also one of our favorite parts of being entrepreneurs.
Please tell us about Minus the Moo.
Minus the Moo is the only premium lactose-free ice cream made from real dairy and all the same ingredients as a traditional ice cream. Instead of resorting to dairy alternatives, we make our ice cream lactose free by adding the natural enzyme needed to digest lactose. We are very proud to be able to make the simple joy of eating real ice cream available to more people. We think simple joys are worth fighting for.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Oh, wow! Hindsight is always 20-20 so I am sure there are plenty of things. However, one thing that we always recommend is to start your business with the future in mind. We noticed that as we evolved our ambitions, our needs and plans changed. We didn’t think big enough in the beginning or maybe believe that we could. Always think bigger and let your passion drive you because you’ll surprise yourself along the way with what your capable of.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.minusthemoo.com
- Email: info@minusthemoo.com
- Instagram: @minusthemoo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/minusthemoo/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MinusTheMoo
Image Credit:
Gwen Burlingame, Elyse Lebel
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