Carli Blum, Sunscoop

What’s the inspiration behind Sunscoop?

I am in love with food, but can’t eat half the products on the market. I have a lot of food sensitivities and autoimmune issues that cause me to feel fatigued and overall not great after eating. I wanted to create ice cream that was made with clean ingredients and actually tasted good.

Sunscoop was designed for people with food sensitivities, like Carli

How did you come up with your recipe? 

My initial inspiration came from a trip to Bali when I had a total Eat, Pray, Love moment and fell in love with healing, plant-based food and ice cream. Their ice cream was made with local coconuts and coconut sugar; it was so simple and delicious I couldn’t get enough! When I came back home,  I tried to recreate something like it and ended up asking a food scientist to help me work on the base. I wanted to make the best tasting vegan ice cream with the least amount of ingredients, which takes a surprising amount of science and perseverance to achieve. Many manufacturers try to solve problems with additives, so we’ve had to really push the boundaries to create this product at scale.Carli and her friend during their trip to Bali

What was it like to build something from scratch?

It’s incredible to create something for future generations that didn't exist for me. I’m endlessly inspired by my food allergies, and mostly, I’m inspired by taste. Often, things that are allergen friendly are not delicious and that needed to change. 

I’m endlessly inspired by my food allergies, and mostly, I’m inspired by taste. 

Carli with a batch of ice cream ready for deliveryWhat’s been the #1 (or two) top challenge(s) you’ve faced while launching your company?

A lot of people really don’t understand how hard it is to make a plant-based product. There’s a ton of science behind making a coconut ice cream scoop-able and delicious, especially with the limitations of machinery that was created for dairy.

On our first official production run, the ice cream just wasn't working. It was like soup; it would not harden into the right texture for ice cream! At the time, this felt like a game-over situation, but I called every ice cream person I knew to get advice on how to tweak the recipe to make it work. The next run went incredibly well. To this day, I’ll never forget what it felt like to hold that first perfectly filled pint.Carli and her puppy inspecting product displays during COVID

Have you learned anything new or surprising about yourself through this process?

I am constantly surprised by my own perseverance. I’ve faced so many challenges and learned to take a moment and then start tackling them. So many things could have stopped me in my tracks, but I believe so much in this product so I just keep going.

Do you have a favorite and/or must-try Sunscoop flavor?

Dark Cacao with Reishi! We use rich cacao and blend it with an organic coconut cream and infuse that with vanilla, pink salt and Reishi. A lot of people think it tastes like brownie batter and we often hear that it’s the “best chocolate ice cream they’ve ever had.”

Carli serving their bestselling flavor at Sunscoop

What’s your team culture like? 

We try to keep things fun. At the end of the day, we’re creating ice cream! But we are all very passionate about what we are doing. 

Carli and her team filming for Sunscoop

What is your superpower?

I tend to think differently than other people. I don’t let immediate obstacles intimidate me. 

What’s your kryptonite?

Ice cream melting.

Do you have any other hobbies/things you like to do in your spare time? 

Just got a puppy named Ziggy. We love long, romantic beach walks in the morning.

Carli with her puppy by the beach

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

Follow my intuition and lead from my heart.