Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly and Eric Emmert.
Cold Fusion was purchased in November 2016. Now owned and operated by Kelly and Eric, two seasoned business professionals.
Eric has an extensive background in finance, operations and consumer products.
Kelly has spent her career as a marketing, media and sales executive working with food and beverage companies such as PepsiCo, Allied Domecq, Bacardi, Hormel, Pinnacle Foods, Russel Stover and Baskin Robins.
Kelly descends from a large family of foodies. Her great-grandmother owned one of the first catering shops on Madison Avenue in Manhattan in the 1930’s called “The Cookery”. She was particularly known for her desserts. Her most popular was a dozen-egg vanilla cake with chocolate fudge icing that she sold to the social elite of the time for $35. She also made her own ice cream. It became so successful her brothers decided to expand the business and turn it into a restaurant. Unfortunately, they didn’t recognize how different those two businesses are and it ultimately failed. The passion for food however lived on as other family members are pastry chefs, chefs and even a professor of food science. Over time, every holiday, birthday and special occasion became a celebration of culinary arts. This passion for food helped drive the decision to purchase Cold Fusion last year.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Being a new owner is never a smooth path. Though we are both seasoned business people, we have never been operators. This is the year we have learned the nuances of production and distribution and lived it out in detail. If a driver calls in sick or quits we are driving the truck.
Additionally, we operate both a production facility and a store in Newport. Doing both during the height of our busy season is a bit of a juggling act.
Please tell us about Cold Fusion Gelato.
We are the best American Gelato. In a marketplace that is overloaded with frozen dessert options designed to be low calorie or high protein, our difference is simple. We taste better. We’ve taken the world’s finest all-natural ingredients and fused them with the freshest cold local dairy to craft the best gelato you can buy in a package. Steeped in Italian tradition, our artisan gelato is whirled together in small batches to produce a silky texture and intense flavor. With less butterfat, sugar and air than ice cream in the mix there is more to enjoy. When you pick up our package there is a short list of simple ingredients that all of us recognize.
As a regional manufacturer, it is important for us to support local, as well as strive towards sustainability, all the while ensuring the highest quality. To do so, we actively practice the following:
– Look for the freshest and best ingredients, and strive to support local farms and suppliers, especially for our dairy and fruit needs
– When we cannot find an ingredient locally, we scour the world for the best possible suppliers and ingredients, such as Madagascar Vanilla and Belgian Chocolate
– The milk for our own proprietary base comes from one of the last local, family owned dairies in Rhode Island and is rBGH and antibiotic free
– Our gelato and sorbet is “artisan,” which means that our products are hand-made, fresh, everyday
– We utilize when-ordered production to maximize the longevity/shelf life of our product in your freezer
We produce gelato as:
– 11 Packaged Pint Flavors
– Boxes 1.5 Gallons
– 5 Liter Pans
– One gallon tubs
We currently supply to hundreds of the finest restaurant in New England, 40 Whole Food Stores, 75 regional gourmet markets and a several of your favorite scoop shops. We just stared a pilot program with Big Y stores that we are excited about. Additionally, we have done some research and development on other gelato desserts that we have been rolling out in the marketplace such as gourmet gelato pies and gelato cookie sandwiches. We will also be adding a few new pint flavors this year.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
No. However, one thing that we have learned is having the right people in place is key. We have a new head of production that has made a tremendous difference.
Contact Info:
- Address: 19 Walpole Park South
Walpole, MA 02081 - Website: www.coldfusiongelato.com
- Phone: 5086686899
- Email: eric@coldfusiongelato.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/coldfusiongelato
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/coldfusiongelato
- Twitter: @cldfusiongelato
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/cold-fusion-gelato-newport
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