Meet Natasha Case of Coolhaus Ice Cream in Culver City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natasha Case.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Natasha. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My background is in architecture and design, and I wanted to find a way to make the field more fun and accessible… thus, add value. I came up with using food as the medium, and I called it ‘Farchitecture = Food + Architecture.’ I met the co-founder in 2009 right after the recession hit, and we started baking cookies, and making ice cream from scratch; we named the combinations after inspiring architects and design movements. We couldn’t afford brick & mortar and didn’t understand wholesale, but we saw we could be first the first dessert truck to market in the rapidly rising wave of chef-driven [literally] mobile food. We jumped on the opportunity, scraping together what little dollars we had, and we used social media as our microphone to get the word out. Our first event ever was the Coachella Valley Music Festival, and the brand went viral from there. We capitalized on all the buzz, first hitting the pavement with our one truck, then expanding the fleet which now includes operations in NYC & Dallas. When we saw the brand had legs by 2011, we re-explored the brick and mortar shop and wholesale channels. The brick and mortars (now two including our Culver City flagship and Pasadena kiosk) have served as great innovation hubs, data collectors, and neighborhood centers—and the wholesale has expanded to over 20 SKU’s in 4500+ retailers ranging from Whole Foods to Safeway around the country… and now internationally.

Has it been a smooth road?
There are always going to be obstacles, but it’s all about how you approach them and come to learn from them. I would say one of the biggest challenges has been managing people. When we started the company, we were very young – and it was difficult to get theoretically more experienced service folks to respect you as a newcomer, even though you were their boss. I learned to create systems of checks and balances, and a routine for feedback that allowed us to guide from a bigger picture standpoint. Also, no two employees are alike – so you have to really learn to read people – understand what motivates them and what environments they prosper in best. You have to have patience with yourself as you are growing and evolving too. Maturity as a manager is not going to happen overnight.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are an innovative dessert company, specializing (for the time being) in ice cream/ice cream novelties. We are known for thinking outside the box, super unique partnerships, a truly cutting-edge brand identity and an inventive way of entering the marketplace with our trucks, brick and mortars, and now national wholesale distribution. Our flavors range from things like Fried Chicken & Waffles ice cream, Whisky Lucky Charms (‘Irish Breakfast’), Street Cart Brown Butter Churro Dough, to elevating classics like Dirty Mint Chip and our stand-out Tahitian Vanilla Bean (no shame in that!). I think something that really sets us apart amidst everything is our story – we were such underdogs, how we started—the brand has super humble roots. Two young women, during the recession, pivoting careers… not to mention, Freya and I are now married, so there was romance amidst all the exciting growth. I would say overall, I’m most proud of our company culture (which is very connected to our founding roots). We have a super diverse, creative team who are also extremely passionate, disciplined and hard-working. The people who work here and the fans who love us are what make us who we are… and I know a great product can last a decade, but a great culture—that’s a century, a legacy kind of vision.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
ABSOLUTELY. Firstly, Freya and I are both natives (as are our angel investor team). Doing business in your place of origin has an incredible networking value – where you went to school, your extracurricular activities, neighbors, folks you met along the way… they will feel a special connection to your brand and you will re-encounter so many from different eras of your life. But in an objective sense, I’m obsessed with doing business in LA. I sometimes say LA is rehab for ex-New Yorkers. That is to say, there is the kind of intensity and driven person here but that also blends with an element of relaxation, balance, enjoying the outdoors year round, and friendliness that goes along with an environment like LA. Also, LA is a truly bohemian city at its origins: its roots with entertainments and the arts are very much about empowering the creative professional and make it much less of a 9-5 city… and that is a perfect environment for entrepreneurship to flourish. Lastly, LA is such a diamond of diversity – an ultimate melting pot. That gives the urban identity such an edge, an ever-evolving framework, and it’s something I find truly inspiring in business.

Contact Info:

• Address: 8588 Washington Blvd
  Coolhaus
• Website: cool.haus
• Phone: 310.853.8995
• Email: natasha@cool.haus
• Instagram: Coolhaus
• Facebook: Coolhaus
• Twitter: Coolhaus
• Yelp: Coolhaus Ice Cream
• Other: Pinterest is Coolhaus, Snapchat is CoolhausLA