Laura O'Neill
Co-Founder and Owner
Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Met Ben Van leeuwen in London, decided to move to NYC with him 2006.
In 2007 Ben, Pete and I started making ice cream and writing a business plan for our truck idea.
Rolled out the first 2 Van Leeuwen trucks in the spring of 2008.
Got approched by Whole Foods about packaged pints on our first day in business.
Opened the first Van Leeuwen Artsian Ice Cream shop in Greenpoint Brooklyn Feb 2010.
Opened the Boerum Hill and East Village stores mid 2011.
Moved our production from Upstate, NY to our very own space in Brooklyn 2011.
2013 Signed a book deal for "The Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream Cookbook" due out spring 2015
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Co-Founder and Owner
I co-founded an ice cream truck and store business in New York City.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Food
Entrepreneurship
Upholding a Cause and Belief
Day to Day
When you have a small business everyday is different and your day never goes how you think it will. Being the boss means dealing with things as they arise. With that said we do have an amazing team and amazing managers that help keep things smooth across the board. A typical day for me is spent at the VL HQ in Greenpoint, home to our office, ice cream production and new Indonesian restaurant Selamat Pagi. About half my evenings I'm working at the restaurant.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Work. From the age of 14 up until starting Van Leeuwen, I had a lot of different jobs. The skills I learned and contacts i made at my past jobs have been super helpful in starting and running VL (even if they seem completely unrelated). It's also important to grow a good work ethic from as early as possible.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Bachelor
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"You should put stabilizers in your ice cream- But why? we thought. We've been making amazing ice cream at home using only fresh milk & cream, cane sugar, egg yolks and the best fruits, nuts, spices & chocolates from small producers around the world."
