Nice!
I recently met up with Daniela Tarantino of Nicecream Sammies fame. We met for a chat at a little coffee shop in Broomfield. I walk in to the coffee shop, no idea what she looks like. I see a young woman sitting at a table with bright eyes and a big smile. Well, that has to be her. I introduce myself and turn on the recorder.
Obvious question.. How long have you been vegan? What brought you to it?
Daniela tells me she has been on an interesting food journey. When she was in fifth grade, her parents decided to become vegetarian and brought all four kids along. She was vegetarian all the way through high school. Then came college. Daniela was unable to maintain her vegetarian life style at CU. In her words “I ate like shit.”
Eating poorly led her to some considerable bad health and stomach issues. She was feeling sick. It was time to make some changes. She kicked gluten and dairy and eventually decided to go vegan.
I love that everyone has a story.
Daniela met and married her college sweetheart and now has two children, a girl and a boy. As with most moms, she began cooking and baking at home. She discovered it was her passion and decided to turn it into a career.
She began Nicecream Sammies a little over a year ago.
“How did you come up with the idea?” I asked her. She told me her family has always been big ice cream lovers, ever since she was a child. Hence, she started experimenting with vegan ice creams. Initially, she began with cashew milk then deciding to add coconut for the fattiness.
Daniela decided she wanted to make something with as few ingredients as possible. Keep it simple, you might say. She also understands that vegan ice cream doesn’t taste exactly like dairy ice, but just as good (actually, even better).
Melody Martinez works hand cutting the paper used, currently, to handwrap the Sammies.
I was able to visit Daniela and Melody at the commissary a couple of weeks after our initial meeting. It was early in the morning, and we had to wear these lovely hairnets, but it was a blast! The girls were working hard, making, mixing and smoothing and freezing. It is so cool to see these awesome treats in production. Once the Sammies are ready, they are hand wrapped in brown paper and packed up for distribution. However, Daniela let me know that new packaging in coming soon…
On this day the ladies were making Fudgie Batter Sammie with Raspberry Nicecream. Yummo!
I am curious about the future. What are the plans for Nicecream Sammies?
Big Plans for 2019. Daniela is in 15 locations to date, but she is looking to double her stores. She is looking for a small distributor to help her with co-ops and smaller natural food stores. The new packaging is coming out. People love her current packaging, but it is too hard to hand wrap. The machines that can do it for you are currently cost prohibitive. She pretty psyched about it! The new labels will have bar codes, which most stores require, and nutritional information. Nicecream Sammies can move into lots of new stores.
Daniela was given some good advice early on… Grow slowly. Quality over quantity.
When we were about finished, I asked Daniela if there was anything she would like to add…
Her concerns for the planet and food are evident.
300,000,000 pounds of round up is spread on soil every year. It is killing the soil. There will be no nutrients left. Organics can have a weird connotation, but are really important. It keeps the microbes in soil alive. It is all about the Bigger picture. It is not just about us, but the planet as well.
Organic buying power is on the rise.
Young People (ahem.. millenials) want to know where their food is coming from.
Thanks again to Daniela Tarantino! You rock and you are going places!!
