Putting the Ice Cream in Community: Wild Scoops
Despite our chilly winters, Alaskans eat more ice cream per capita than any other state in the country! Combine that with our fierce local love and you’ve got the perfect community for a business like Wild Scoops to thrive in. Launched by Elissa Brown and Chris Pike, Wild Scoops is an Anchorage-based craft ice cream company with unique flavors like Sitka Swirl, Redoubt’s Revenge and Potato Chip Toffee, made from locally sourced ingredients and inspired by our amazing state.
Brown and Pike handcraft small batches of ice cream in flavors that are fresh, adventurous and wildly delicious. They work with local farmers and small vendors to source inspirational ingredients such as spruce tips, rhubarb, coffee, beer, herbs, macarons, blueberries, cranberries, beets and more. The results have been extremely well received by the Anchorage community and Wild Scoops has been featured in the Anchorage Press, on KTUU’s Alaska Bites and in Alaska Dispatch News (to name a few).
Before they decided to jump into business, Brown and Pike worked through a business plan with the Alaska Small Business Development Center. Through attending a few workshops and meeting with their Business Advisor, they were able to better understand the financial implications of their startup and fully align their visions for the business: an extremely important first step when entering into a business partnership.
“Attending an SBDC intro class, followed by the business plan class later that very week, gave us the extra encouragement to give our dream a go! We met several times with Kimberlee to look over our business plan and make sure that everything looked good on paper before trying it out in real life. As we headed into our first ice cream summer, we felt good knowing there was a place to get small business advice,” said Brown.
With the addition of Wild Scoops ice cream to Alaska’s frozen treat scene, we’re likely to retain our spot as the king of ice cream consumers! The business has already expanded significantly since their first summer and Brown and Pike continue to work with the SBDC on ways to grow strategically.
Gearing up for another round of warmer weather, the Wild Scoops pushcart can be found in several pop-up locations throughout the week. Looking for a sure thing? Ice cream pints and singles can be found at La Bodega and Summit Spice & Tea Company in Anchorage, Alyeska Resort in Girdwood and Flying Squirrel in Talkeetna! Make sure to check out their website and follow them on Facebook and be the first to know about new flavors and events!
