NEW EPISODES EVERY WEDS!
She bought a broken-down truck off of Craigslist and used AAA to tow her to Coachella to sell ice cream... fast forward to NOW when her brand, Coolhaus, is sold in over 5,000 retail locations, has a fleet of food trucks and retail stores, and is the premier female-owned ice cream brand that nobody can get enough of! How did she do it?! Robin chats with Natasha Case, the Co-founder and CEO of Coolhaus Ice Cream, about turning challenges into opportunities! Natasha discusses how she made the transition from architecture to ice cream, how she positioned herself against her competitors, and how she navigated the incredibly difficult frozen food category. Robin and Natasha gush over Coolhaus' decadent flavors (Chocolate Malt and French Fries, anyone?!), and Robin offers her OWN flavor ideas based on her favorite treats as a child (your mouth will WATER!)! Stay until the end for a game of Brain Freeze!
natasha case
Natasha Case founded CoolHaus in 2009 with Freya Estreller because they did not feel represented by any of the ice cream brands on shelves… not as Millennials, not as women, and definitely not as gay women. They left their jobs in architecture at Walt Disney Imagineering and real estate, respectively, to create the brand, from product to culture, that they wanted to buy. They launched their architecturally-inspired, artisan, unique ice cream sandwich company from their barely driveable postal van at the Coachella Music Festival to an audience of 100,000. They built a loyal following over the festival weekend and returned to LA to an abundance of viral press, a rapidly building social media following, and an eager foodie audience. Since then, Natasha has been named a Forbes 30 under 30 Food & Beverage, Zagat 30 Under 30, Linked in 10 under 35 for Food & Leisure, 10 Most Successful Women in Business by Leaders Globe, and was recently named UCLA LGBTQ+ 2019 Alum of the Year. She has been featured in many national publications and media outlets like Entrepreneur, Inc, Cosmo, Dwell, Bon Appetit, Bustle, The Advocate, Vice, NPR, and Food52 and TV shows including Food Network’s Chopped, Barefoot Contessa, Unique Sweets, Good Morning America, King of Cones, Andy Cohen Live, Top Chef Jr and co-hosted her own podcast, ‘Start to Sale’ through Eater/Vox Media. In 2019 she joined YPO in the Beverly Hills chapter. She has successfully launched brand partnerships with Bustle, Lexus, MeUndies, Allegro Coffee, French’s Mustard/McCormick’s, Goldieblox (STEM for girls), and K-Swiss amongst others. Natasha is a board member of the UCLA Arts Dept, Opportunity Fund (Southern California), and a member of the Lyft Council (Los Angeles). Coolhaus has become a pioneer in dessert innovation with its thoughtfully crafted, super-premium, and innovative ice cream and plant-based frozen desserts. CoolHaus is the leading women-owned ice cream business at grocery, growing significantly to include a fleet of 10 trucks (LA, Texas, NY), a flagship scoop shop/innovation center in Culver City, and 7,000 grocery doors nationally including Whole Foods global, Wegmans, Kroger, and Publix. Coolhaus is distributed internationally in Asia and the Middle East as well and sold at major venues like AMC Theaters, Madison Square Garden, The Hollywood Bowl, The Greek Theater, and The Forum.
Today, Natasha leads the way as the CEO of Coolhaus, leading innovation (including cones and mini cones that will roll out in 2021) and guiding the brand with fresh, unique ideas that keep Coolhaus on top of its game as a zealous expansion to become the household brand of the millennial generation continues. Natasha aspires to continue to represent positive change, push the envelope for the future of food, and inspire the next generation of LGBTQ+ founders, entrepreneurs, and creators to live out their dreams. More information at https://cool.haus
Episode Sources
CoolHaus: https://cool.haus
CoolHaus on IG: https://www.instagram.com/coolhaus/
Natasha on IG: https://www.instagram.com/natashajcase/
CoolHaus Ice Cream Book: https://www.amazon.com/Coolhaus-Ice-Cream-Book-Custom-Built/dp/0544120043
Truman's Los Angeles Adventure Book: https://www.amazon.com/Trumans-Angeles-Adventure-Barbara-Dourmashkin/dp/0989406016
Girls Who Run the World: https://www.amazon.com/Girls-Who-Run-World-Business/dp/198489305X