Ice Cream Parlour

2 Ice Cream Parlour Success Stories [2025]

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Updated: April 17th, 2025

Ice cream is something that people of all ages equally enjoy globally, making it a profitable business to venture into.

This frozen dessert industry has registered massive growth in recent years, a trend that shows the industry’s potential.

If you are looking to start your ice cream business, follow these steps:

Decide whether to make your ice cream or to source from established ice cream brands
Write an effective business plan for the ice cream shop detailing the goals, strategies, and plans
Fund your business idea
Choose a spacious shop in an area with plenty of foot traffic
Offer different ice cream flavors

Opening an ice cream parlor is not easy work. However, if you do it right, it is rewarding and can be a lot of fun.

In this list, you'll find real-world ice cream parlour success stories and very profitable examples of starting a ice cream parlour that makes money.

1. Ice Cream Factory ($4.8M/year)

e-commerce store is built on the Shopify platform, which provides a user-friendly interface, reliable hosting, and a seamless checkout process for our customers. We also rely heavily on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for marketing and advertising purposes. These platforms allow us to reach a wider audience and engage with our customers on a more personal level. Additionally, we use QuickBooks for our accounting needs and Mailchimp for email marketing campaigns. Overall, these tools have been instrumental in helping us grow and scale our business.

How much money it makes: $4.8M/year
How much did it cost to start: $150K
How many people on the team: 50

How I Started A $400K/Month Ice Cream Brand With Presence In 400+ Stores

Founder of Ice Cream Factory Shannon Imler started her company with 10 total ice cream containers, and has since expanded to over 400 stores and opened a second location with a goal to hit $863.2 million in revenue, utilizing an effective social media marketing strategy and employee appreciation for success.

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2. The Good Scoop ($192K/year)

Stephen Layton, one of the founding members of The Good Scoop, came up with the idea for his artisan ice cream business after visiting Salt & Straw in Portland and realizing the potential for a successful ice cream shop in the Central Valley of California. Inspired by the farm-to-fork movement in Sacramento, Layton wanted to bring a fresh perspective to the classic ice cream parlor. By utilizing fresh, local, and all-natural ingredients, The Good Scoop has attracted and retained customers through their unique flavors and commitment to quality.

How much money it makes: $192K/year
How many people on the team: 1

On Starting A $16K/Month Handmade Natural Ice Cream Business

The Good Scoop, a California-based artisanal ice cream shop, started with a small Italian countertop ice cream maker and now has a production facility, wholesaling to various venues, offering frequent scooper programs, and using Instagram as their primary advertising platform.

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Read by 17,161 founders