BetterWith Ice Cream is a BC-based female-owned brand that uses six simple ingredients to deliver a satisfying, ultra-rich experience. Founder Lori Joyce was inspired to create an ice cream product that reflected the old-fashioned recipe, with full-fat cream instead of modified milk ingredients, fillers, and gums.
BetterWith has launched its very first crowdfunding campaign through FrontFundr with a target of $250,000. Once the fundraiser goal is complete, Lori plans on using the money to improve marketing and strengthen its presence in its native province before expanding to grocery stores nationwide.
Before BetterWith Ice Cream, Lori’s entrepreneurial endeavors were dessert-focused and retail-driven. In 2002, she created a cupcake business with Heather with no prior culinary experience. “I didn’t go into the cupcake business as a baker. I just wanted to start a business that happened to make cupcakes. So, how do we hire the right bakers that understand what we’re trying to create?” Lori reflects on her experience.
“I wasn’t the chef opening up my restaurant. For us, it was all about the retail experience”. After opening more bakery locations and becoming a mother, Lori became interested in pairing ice cream with her existing cupcake business. “We had 12-15 locations at the time, and it’s not like we could make ice cream at every location. I needed to scale this ice cream brand first before we could incorporate it into the bakeries”.
This realization leads Lori to pivot her entrepreneurial endeavors towards the grocery sphere.
After researching independently owned ice cream joints, Lori was ready to work with a local manufacturing company. Her main priority was to keep the ingredient list to the essentials to make premium ice cream that delivers rich flavour and texture. Lori admits, “It’s practically impossible to find an ice cream product in Canada without gums. Stepping into CPG, the first thing I had to conquer was to find who is doing this the best and how I can do this without sugar. I focused on replicating that standard of smoothness and richness with less sugar”.
Lori initially looked to Haagen-Das as the standard premium ice cream company that did not use fillers. The result was a homemade, classic taste with a subtle sweetness. “What I’m proud about is that my ingredients have no gums and also 15% less sugar than Haagen-das.
Amazingly, I can create a fresher, more real flavour and still have less sugar. There is nothing about this product that is mimicking”, she beams. For BetterWith’s first crowdfunding campaign, Lori turned to BC’s own FrontFundr to connect with investors that believe in her vision.
“It’s awesome to have a consumer product that they can experience, and then they can also become a part of your company,” Lori admits. With the fundraiser goal of $250,000, Lori plans on using the money to increase inventory and invest more into the company’s marketing budget.
BetterWith has been successful through organic growth and word of mouth. This first crowdfunding campaign will be dedicated to strengthening the brand’s foundation in British Columbia, which will create the ideal setup to expand into Ontario and the rest of Canada.
“If we can focus on growing the brand by making the consumer and our investors support us in the marketplace, that is a unique opportunity to get support in that marketplace and raise awareness.”
Through FrothFundr, Lori has the opportunity to make an impact on the investor space and encourage women to invest in female-owned businesses.
“As a woman, I’m in a space that is dominated not only by big companies but is also men. On crowdfunding, the average is 80% male investors and 20% female investors”. Through BetterWith Ice Cream, Lori is setting a positive example for dessert made with integrity and small businesses that can make a positive impact.
“With our campaign, over 55% of our investors are women. I’m proud of that. I love FrontFundr because the platform makes it comfortable and accessible enough for women to invest. I think that is unique”.
For more information, visit https://www.betterwith.com/
Frontfundr – Crowdfunding Campaign
https://www.frontfundr.com/betterwith
Author: Vanessa Butera, Content Writer, The Onside Media, Toronto, Canada. If you have stories to share kindly email: – vanessa.butera@theonside.com
