Case Study: Sweet Ritual

Sweet Ritual is a maker, wholesaler and retailer of vegan ice cream here in Austin, TX. They are one of the premier non-dairy ice cream makers in the state, making their ice cream from various bases, including: peanut butter, cashew, almond, coconut and pecan. 

Sweet Ritual is a maker, wholesaler and retailer of vegan ice cream here in Austin, TX. They are one of the premier non-dairy ice cream makers in the state, making their ice cream from various bases, including: peanut butter, cashew, almond, coconut and pecan. They offer staples, along with seasonal flavors based on what is available from local farmers and producers.

​They have been making and selling out of a storefront within Juiceland at 45th and Duval for over 3 years now.

They partner with local vegan and gluten free bakery Better Bites to make their ice cream sandwiches, local hot sauce maker Yellowbird for a unique chocolate/hot sauce ice cream and are looking for ways to buy whole nuts from local producers to make their own nut milk bases.

With a strong focus on sourcing, selling and giving back to our local community, Sweet Ritual is a wonderful example of plugging into the local community whenever possible.

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Deal

Progress: Fully Funded

Use of Funds: 
Equipment
Fixtures
Build-out
All related to moving from their shared space to a dedicated space on Airport Blvd.

​Milestone:
Move production and retail from Juiceland 45th/Duval and open their new doors in June

Months to Milestone: 1

Vehicle: Straight loan

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​Impact

People:  Sweet Ritual currently employs 8 full time employees and hope to increase that number to 12 once they are relocated to their bigger space on Airport Blvd. Plus, a less direct impact is the joy that they bring to kids (and adults) with dairy intolerances, when they find out they can enjoy ice cream again.

Procurement: When at all possible, Sweet Ritual sources their ingredients locally. Whether that is strawberries from local farmers, honey from local bee keepers or gluten-free cookies for their ice cream sandwiches from a local bakery, if there is a local option, they use it. They are currently looking for a local olive oil producer to supply them with EVOO for their new chocolate flavor.
Their eventual goal is to be able to source peanuts, pecans and other nuts from local farmers to be made into the nut milk they use for the base of their tasty ice creams.

​Place:  The founders, Amelia and Valerie, are very involved with their community. They mentor other entrepreneurs and make themselves available whenever possible. They also have a goal of providing insurance to their employees in the near future, in an effort to take care of those that live and work in our community

Process:  As mentioned above, when at all possible Sweet Ritual sources their ingredients locally and make all of their ice creams in house. They are always looking for new ways to change their processes to allow for more local sourcing - as evidenced by their desire to make their own nut milk bases from locally sourced nuts.

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​Team

Founders

Valerie Ward - Founder and Co-Owner
Amelia Raley - Founder and Co-Owner

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Company

Founded:  2011
​FTE:  8

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​Links

Company Website     |     Facebook     |     Twitter @SweetRitual