Meet Jen Miller of Bunch Ice Cream in Culver City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Miller.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Bunch is an idea I’ve had to create a plant-based ice cream with a mission to help fight food waste. Why waste?

In my early career, I spent a lot of time working in restaurants seeing first-hand how much of our food gets tossed. It’s what initially piqued my interest to learn more about the issue and, the more I dug, the bigger I understood the problem to be. In fact, most stats report that 40% of the food we produce goes straight to the trash while at the same time, one in eight Americans goes hungry each day.

Back then, my way of tackling the problem was to take leftovers from the kitchens I worked in, drive them around town, and give them out to anyone who looked in need of a meal. Today, while you’re still likely to catch me giving food away to anyone who looks in need, I’ve also decided to take on the issue in a bigger, more scalable way.

At Bunch, I’m packing our pints with bananas that would otherwise go to waste because they have speckles and spots which is considered too ripe to stock. It’s one way to keep perfectly good produce from making its way into our landfills while also educating on the larger issue at hand.

Plus, with every pint purchased, Bunch will provide one meal to someone in need through a donation to the leading, national hunger non-profit. The brand has just launched and is being sold locally in LA through pickup and delivery on UberEats, Postmates, and Doordash. We also offer nationwide shipping.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s been a journey to get to this point! I spent 2018 learning the ins and outs of ice cream. My goal from the beginning was to create a product that is damn delicious.

I didn’t want to sacrifice taste or texture in order for it to be a better-for-you product. I’ve had to learn a lot about the art and science of ice cream to create a product that I really feel phenomenal about.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
It’s estimated that 40% of food in the US gets tossed because of factors like cosmetic imperfections & supply surplus. That means roughly 72 billion pounds of perfectly good food ends up in our landfills instead of on plates.

At Bunch, we’re on a mission to fight food waste in three key ways:
1) We aim to offset food waste by utilizing produce that would otherwise be discarded because of cosmetic
imperfections and supply surplus. We’re also working to reduce waste at all stages in our production, like using
recyclable packaging and turning our banana peels into a natural fertilizer.
2) We’re committed to educating others about the issue of food waste. It’s our aim to cultivate a community that
shares our mission.
3) We’re in this to give back. We donate a portion of proceeds from every pint to the leading, national hunger nonprofit. Every pint purchased provides one meal to a family in need.

Beyond that, we want to give our customers a dessert option that tastes just as good as traditional dairy ice creams. We believe eating well should be an easy choice. All of our flavors are free from dairy, artificial ingredients, and refined sugars while still keeping that creamy, delicious taste and texture of regular ice cream.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was really drawn to creative outlets. I took dance, acting, and singing lessons. I really loved to perform. I also always loved being in the kitchen helping my mom and grandma prepare meals for holidays and family dinners.

Pricing:

• All of our pints are priced at $12. Available for pickup at our commissary in Culver City or delivery on Postmates, UberEats, and Doordash.
• We offer a four pack of pints for nationwide shipping at $48. We have flat-rate shipping of $15/$20 depending on the region.
• You can also reach out to us about catering your event or brining ice cream into your restaurant or retail. We’ll put together a package to suit your needs.

Contact Info:

• Address:  5914 Smiley Drive Culver City, CA 90232
• Website: www.bunchicecream.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @bunchicecreams

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