It has been quite a while since I last conducted an interview for the blog, but I am back and am beyond excited for you guys to read this one! The interviewee is someone I have looked up to for a long time for creating an iconic, female-owned ice cream empire. Her name is Natasha Case, and she founded Coolhaus ice cream in 2009 along with Freya Estreller. In this interview, Natasha has been kind enough to share with me her backstory, how she has created a unique yet classic brand in a saturated market of frozen desserts, and she also gives tips and tricks for aspiring entrepreneurs. It was such an honor to interview Natasha, and I am so thrilled for you guys to read this post. Enjoy!

Caroline: Have you always had a love for baking? If so, did you start out with cookies or ice cream, and when did you start making ice cream sandwiches?

Natasha: You know, it’s funny, I wouldn’t say this came from a love for baking, per say. I always loved food and thinking about food systems and the direction it was going and thinking about what makes food that people love already. I spent a year in college in Italy, and that was just such a big realization. I was 19 and 20 and seeing then how making things really simply can actually be the best was a really big profound realization. I don’t think we were there as a country so much yet in the US, so things like that are what really gets me kind of ticking with food. Also, I really love entertaining and hospitality and the experience of eating and that’s also what drew me to doing this. What determines our experience of eating and what are the ways that you can be really creative and experiment with that is kind of what led me to a food truck. So that’s really what got me started in terms of combining food with architecture, which is what I was studying. Just following those two passions, and I think everything that was going on in the world and the environment at that time was the recession and more of an awareness about what we were eating because of the internet and social media brought me to this. But I of course I do love the making, and I love it at all scales, but I like to show that side because you don’t have to come from being a chef or pastry chef to get into food.

C: Going off of that, I read that you are so inspired by architecture that you named Coolhaus after German architect Rem Koolhaas. Are you still passionate about architecture? If so, are you ever able to incorporate that into Coolhaus? 

N: It’s funny, my son’s name is Remy, kind of inspired by Rem Koolhaas. So, if that doesn’t answer your question! But yes, I still am very inspired by it. It plays a role in a very broad way in everything I do because I think even if you’re not designing a building, which is how people think of architecture traditionally, in my line of work, especially in the grocery stores there’s all the packaging, all the branding and telling stories is through visuals. I would say social media is all about that, our scoop shop is all about that, you know, creating spaces. The truck is such a unique way to create an environment that’s mobile that is, at once, shows up in an environment totally foreign to it, yet creates something unique to itself in that environment. I think those are really funny architectural creatures in a way, so it’s definitely a great foundation from a visual standpoint. Also, I think architecture is a very right and left brain type of work. You’re kind of an artist, but you are also very much grounded in rules and having clients and making sure things stand up. I still feel drawn to that type of thinking, and in architecture, it really is a team project, so you have to work with so many different kind of folks to get something done. I think running a business, in some ways, mirrors that. It is definitely still a part of what I do. I am definitely still inspired by it.

C: When and how did you make the initiative to turn a hobby of baking into a career?

N: I think the recession really pushed me in that direction because, you know, sometimes you have to be left with no choice in order to really do something big. It pushed me out of my planned line of work which was rising in the ranks at Disney Imagineering which was what I had envisioned for myself, and it made me really think about, well if it’s not going to be that, what have I got? I think a lot of people really went to that backup dream that they never thought would be their career and started to take it more seriously. Sometimes a global disaster can become something positive in that way!

C: Coolhaus has become a huge, beloved brand. After you and Freya drove a postal van you found on the internet to Coachella to debut Coolhaus, what were the next steps in your wildly successful journey? Was Coolhaus an instant success at Coachella?

N: Coachella was the first year I would say that we kind of got by. We survived, you know? We broke even, we brought our un-drivable postal van back, and we made more of an operating food truck, barely even at that, so I would say it was more of a “survive” than a “thrive.” But over the years, we started to build a following there and make more money and figure out how to best utilize the festival and what it had to offer and how to best plug our business into that. I think it was also, not only from a sales perspective, but from a media perspective, what really got us on the map because news about Coolhaus went viral after that. Even though we were a little in over our heads, you sometimes have to do that to push yourself to the next level.

C: How did you make Coolhaus a distinct brand in a saturated market of ice cream and frozen desserts?

N: I think a lot of it has to do with really thinking about what we’re doing on such a different level. Ice cream being a canvas for creation and bringing a very inclusive and unique take on that creation that is really here to empower the next generation of creators who can bring diverse perspective as well. Like how are we changing the game for ice cream and for the food world beyond? And that’s being a woman creator and founder and leader, LGBTQ founder and leader, Freya, as a woman of color. These are just some things that help us bring different perspective to the table, and I think really leaning into that and telling our story about coming to this in such a different way. Now, I would say from a more literal perspective, really focusing on our novelties like sandwiches, mini cups, the new mini sandwiches at Whole Foods, we’re going to do cones next year, and then the dairy free is huge for us, as well. Most of our competition is pints, so how can we do things differently?

C: Have you experienced any unique hardships as a gay female entrepreneur? What advice can you give to other aspiring entrepreneurs in similar situations or just entrepreneurs in general? 

N: I think anyone’s personality and background is going to give them a unique journey. Definitely, I think we’ve got a long way to go as far as equality for women and access to capital and things like that. When the majority of people you’re pitching to or raising money with or selling product into stores are all old white guys, people have a lot of biases toward who they’re talking to, and until there’s more people on the other side of the table, it’s never going to be equal. So we’ve got a long way to go there, and I would say that that definitely does impact your ability to grow as fast as you want to and make big changes. I think what you have to do is lean into the positives that you have. As women creators, I think we have a lot of advantages in terms of how collaborative we are, how we work with our team, the care and thought we put into our creations and flavors, and the empathy that we bring to the community. Those are all great things, and I think as a gay entrepreneur, in a way I found it easier to work with men, as a gay woman, because it’s a non-threatening situation. It sort of takes away a lot of the uncomfortableness that people have. Is something that’s going to be said going to be miscommunicated or perceived in any direction? I found men to let their guard down more which on one hand, is really good because it creates a comfort level, but on the other hand, sometimes they say stupid things and then you have to call them out for it. So it’s interesting. It’s a different dynamic in that way. I think you have to lean in. It’s good to have a community of people who can be your lifeline to feel like you’re not alone. All of us have ways that we’re different and all of us have ways that we’re the same, so if you can find people like other women business owners or other gay business owners, whatever it may be that you can also talk to them about their experiences. I think that that’s really going to help you feel like, okay, there’s some shared experiences here, and what can we all learn and how can we all be better?

C: What is one thing you wish you would have known when starting Coolhaus?

N: I’m glad I didn’t know as much as I do now because I think when you know too much it becomes an impediment to starting something. But, I guess always I can look back and ask what can we do that makes a better impact to the environment with the packaging, where we source from, our dairy-free line, which is plant-based, like always thinking about how we can get ahead of that and start that earlier and earlier I think is helpful.

C: Is there anything you can tell us about what is coming next for Coolhaus? I know you mentioned the cones, but is there anything else we can expect coming up?

N: Yeah! I’m super excited about the cones! We’re working on them in both dairy and dairy-free. We are working on a lot of new dairy-free things like a couple new chocolate flavors, and we’re working on reimagining some of our core skews like the cookie dough, how we can make that really unique, even the s’mores. Do we want to make a chocolate version of that because it’s so good? We’re definitely going to do another flavor for pride like we did last year. We did this call for entry to people who have women owned businesses, and we’re going to, each week, feature a different one and collaborate with them with Coolhaus on different levels. We’re going to source their products in doing so, so it’s direct money in their pocket. I’m really excited for that to launch in October!

C: I saved the most important question for last! What is your favorite Coolhaus flavor?

N: That’s so hard! That’s like asking me to choose between my children. I just like to say what I’m into at the moment. Believe it or not, the dairy-free horchata ice cream sandwich which is at pretty much all Whole Foods. It’s so good and so unique. I will definitely say that is a great flavor profile that you find in LA. There’s so many great Mexican and Latino restaurants that have a great horchata, and I’d love to do more in those flavor spaces and really have fun there, so for now, the dairy-free horchata. That’s the top of my list!

Images via Instagram