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LICKING THE COMPETITION THINGS AT WORK HEATING UP AND READY TO BE YOUR OWN BOSS? GOT SOME COOL IDEAS TO MELT THE MONOTONY? COOLHAUS CO-FOUNDER NATASHA CASE GIVES US THE SCOOP ON BUILDING A UNIQUE IDEA INTO A GROWING NATIONAL BUSINESS SELLING 5,000 TO 6,000 UNITS DAILY. SHE SHARES HER SECRETS ON HOW THE BUSINESS CONTINUES TO EVOLVE AND ADVANCE INTO THE FUTURE, ONE SNICKERDOODLE COOKIE AT A TIME.
COOLHAUS “SAMMIES” HAVE BECOME AN ENTREPRENEURIAL STORY RECEIVING NATIONAL ATTENTION. HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START AND CONVERT A HOBBY INTO A BUSINESS? It all started back when I was studying architecture in college and grad school. One of my professors said my mock-up looked like a layer cake, and I was like, “Yeah, it does!” So, obviously, I brought a layer cake to class. I started calling it “farchitecture” for food + architecture. It was a fun way to talk about the subject, and I knew it could be useful for introducing people to architecture and design. While working my first job, after grad school, I started making ice cream sandwiches and naming them after famous architects. This was effectively the foundation for what would become Coolhaus. I met my partner, Freya Estreller, during this time. She was a tremendous help with our financial model and business operations. We bought a broken down postal van on Craigslist, made our way to Coachella, and returned home to more press and fans than we could have imagined! COOLHAUS ESSENTIALLY WENT VIRAL FOLLOWING YOUR COACHELLA DEBUT. HOW HAS SOCIAL MEDIA CONTINUED TO IMPACT YOUR GROWTH? Social media was a major, major factor for our growth. It was important for letting people know of our location, but it’s also been great for promoting our retailers. Fans are always asking where they can find our products, and we get to interact with them and promote sales. SO YOU’VE NOW MOVED BEYOND JUST FOOD TRUCKS TO ACTUAL DISTRIBUTION OF PRODUCTS TO RETAIL STORES. HOW HAVE YOU MANAGED SUCH A RAPID EXPANSION? The business grew faster than we could have imagined, and before we knew it, we were trying to manage an entire team of people. Several components of our business model have allowed us to expand. One was the model of scalability. We started using co-packers right away to make our product to spec—this way we could grow without having to purchase new equipment at every stage, and we weren’t on the hook from a cash flow perspective with raw materials. We also started to scoop the sammies made-to-order at retail, which became a big part of the customer experience and playfulness of the brand. Also, the trucks
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themselves are a very affordable and nimble retail model and are great for both vending and catering. Additionally, I think launching at Coachella, an event with huge exposure and media following, really catapulted us early on. It became a key part of our heritage. YOUR SCALABILITY HAS ALLOWED YOU TO GROW BEYOND THE FOOD TRUCK, BUT IS IT STILL THE CORNERSTONE OF YOUR BUSINESS OR HAS ANOTHER METHOD SURPASSED IT IN SALES? I think the food truck industry has come to represent more of a strategic purpose (which is often marketing) than a singular business to live and die by. The trucks are best utilized when they plug into a larger growth strategy. That is how both small brands that are growing and big brands that are looking to be innovative are using them. The distribution business officially surpassed the truck and brick-and-mortar business in 2014 and is slated to double this year. Our truck business grows about 5% every year. WITH COOLHAUS BASED IN MILD-WEATHERED LOS ANGELES, HOW HAVE EAST COAST WINTERS IMPACTED YOUR SALE PROJECTIONS? The East Coast winters mean the truck business there is essentially shut down, but actually the wholesale distribution business stays pretty steady. People still buy a lot of ice cream from grocery stores and celebrate with it for the holidays. Ice cream is really more of a comfort food than necessarily a warm weather food. Boston is actually the highest ice cream consumption per capita! WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS DREAM? WHAT IS NEXT IN COMPLETING THE DREAM FOR COOLHAUS? On a personal level, I would love to continue to start and grow more businesses, which I think will always be consumer packaged goods. I would also love to have an investment fund where Freya and I can foster business development and growth for other women-run businesses. As far as Coolhaus is concerned, we really want it to be the Ben & Jerry’s of our generation—a household name that can be easily accessed without sacrificing quality or integrity. For more information, visit eatcoolhaus.com.