Welcome to the launch of an exciting new series called Tastemaker, where we're getting to know the great people behind some of our favorite mighty foods. If you have a favorite natural food product or producer that you want to know more about, email us your suggestions (subject: Tastemakers) to staff AT mightyfoods.com - and make sure to include what you love about it or why they interest you. Looking forward to hearing what your mighty eats are!

My sister claims there is no bad ice cream. Call me a snob if you must, but I disagree - in fact, in my opinion, there are really only a few commercial ice creams worth eating. When I go in for a frosty spoonful, I want it to be fantastically delicious and made with the purest ingredients - otherwise it's just not worth it. My first lick of Three Twins Ice Cream set the bar for which all other frozen confections must meet. This is ice cream I can depend on to wow me with flavor every time, even if I’m just eating the same vanilla (made with organic Nielsen-Massey vanilla) I've had many times before. Three Twins is certified organic, often made from local ingredients, and without stabilizers and gums - which you’ll find in most of the ice creams in your grocer’s freezer, even the organic ones. My favorite way to enjoy Three Twins Ice Cream is nestled inside their handmade, organic waffle cones made fresh at their stores.

I liked Three Twins Ice Cream so much that I eventually ended up working with them occasionally between my regular day job and graduate school. I don’t work for them anymore, but the ice cream is still just as tasty. Neal is a friend that I suspect can dish up a sundae-sized scoop of inspiration to many Mighty Foods readers, whether he is talking about his ice cream or how he ended up running a green business. He was nice enough to answer some of our questions:

When and why did you start making Three Twins Ice Cream?

I was going to go to business school to study entrepreneurship with a focus on green businesses. However, in looking at the $110,000+ that business school would cost and the two years that I would spend on the sidelines talking about starting a green business, I felt that getting out there and starting a green business would be the next best step. I chose ice cream because you don't have to be a hardcore environmentalist to enjoy earth-friendly ice cream. Plus I thought that it would be good fun. And it has been. I’ve been making it since late August of 2005.

What makes Three Twins Ice Cream great?

Three Twins is made with great local organic ingredients. It's fun. Three Twins cares about operating in an environmentally responsible manner. But more importantly than anything else, it is inconceivably delicious and priced to be accessible.

What is your favorite way to eat the ice cream?

I think that ice cream is best enjoyed with friends. My two favorite ways to have ice cream are with a warm fruit sauce on top or with frosted cake!

What would most surprise people about Three Twins Ice Cream?

That there's really only one twin involved in the business.

What other natural food producer do you really admire? Why?

I really like Straus Family Creamery, because they make great products and are absolutely committed to taking good care of their herd and their land. On a large scale, I think that Clif Bar is admirable because they've incorporated huge amounts of organic ingredients into their products, which was a big financial risk at the time. I also admire other young entrepreneurs like myself who have gone into their businesses full steam ahead, despite the risks and challenges, to improve upon the natural food offerings in the market. Jill Litwin of Peas of Mind and Taponia Miller and Taylor Boetticher of Fatted Calf come to mind. The kids from Bear Naked Granola make you proud since they started from scratch and made it big, while seemingly enjoying themselves.

What's your favorite natural food product other than your own?

I can't ever seem to get enough of the numerous varieties of sausage from The Fatted Calf.

What's next on the horizon for you and Three Twins Ice Cream?

With the second store up and running, I'm dusting off a business plan that I wrote a few months ago to raise money in order to ramp up our pint production and enter the organic ice cream novelty business.

Where can people find Three Twins Ice Cream?

The best place to enjoy it is at our new store in Napa's Oxbow Public Market. In the Bay Area, you can find us at the Tuesday and Saturday Berkeley Farmers' Market, and in a couple dozen restaurants and groceries. Our website, has a complete listing of where Three Twins Ice Cream is offered.

www.threetwinsicecream.com

photo credit: bart nagel

Comments (0) | January 25 - 10:18 AM

category: Interviews/Profiles