
Laura O'Neill
Co-Founder and Owner
Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream
Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream
Co-Founder and Owner
I co-founded an ice cream truck and store business in New York City.
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.
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.
"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."