The ice cream aisle used to be a lot less complicated. There were national brands, regional brands, a couple of super-premium players, and a smattering of dairy-free. Today, shoppers are presented with a bewildering array of options from lactose-free, high-protein, low calorie, and Keto, to a wave of plant-based products and ‘animal-free’ pints featuring milk proteins produced by microbes, not cows.
Amidst all the noise, Brooklyn-based
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream – which launched out of a truck in New York City in 2008 and has since developed a cult following with its high butterfat, artisanal pints and minimalist branding – has largely stuck to its knitting over the years, although founders Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen and Laura O'Neill saw an opportunity in plant-based from the get-go.