Starting Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream wasn’t the original plan. Instead, its creation “was by accident,” says Lauren Townsend, cofounder of the brand. “We went out for ice cream to talk about our dream restaurant, and we had an underwhelming ice cream experience. And that was really the ‘aha moment’ that got us both interested in ice cream,” Townsend says. Founder(s): Lauren & Chad Townsend Headquarters: Homestead, PA Year Started: 2014 Annual Sales: Not disclosed Total Units: 8 territories open + 5 territories sold but not yet open = 13 total The original idea was to open a French bistro, since Chad Townsend, Lauren’s husband, is a trained chef. However, after purchasing a rather pricey Pacojet frozen treat machine, the Millie’s brand was born. “He convinced me to put it on my credit card,” continues Townsend. “Here’s the deal. I’m going to buy this thing, but we have to pay it off by the end of the summer. And so we started selling ice cream behind our friend’s restaurant in a pop-up capacity to pay off that first very expensive purchase.” Millie’s was founded in 2014, starting off as a subscription model business after realizing the pop-up was a success. The Townsends brought ice cream right to the doors of customers, gaining valuable insight. “We would drive around town and deliver pints to folks’ homes on the weekends, and we got a lot of great early feedback about flavor profiles through that,” Townsend says. Through lots of trial and tribulation, Millie’s…
