After moving to Denver and working a series of odd jobs, this founder made the decision to go all in on ice cream.
Super-premium desserts are having a moment right now. While there is a place for protein-packed, low sugar treats, consumers are indulging in nostalgic favorites like brownies, cookies and ice cream. This is where RoseBud Ice Cream comes in. Founded by Sam Rose, this Denver-based company is churning out some of the tastiest ice creams in freezers across America.
With flavors like Fancy A** Vanilla, Midnight Mint, Paw Prints, Mighty Fine Chocolate and Moonlight Daydream -- to name a few -- each pint of RoseBud Ice Cream is meant to transport you to moments of everyday happiness ... making bad days good, and good days great.
We sat down with Sam to talk genesis of the brand, the highs and lows of navigating the CPG industry (especially in frozen), how he manages work/life balance, goals for 2024, and advice for other founders. Grab a spoon and let's get scooping!
What were you up to prior to starting the world’s best ice cream brand?
The RoseBud journey began back in 2016 when I was a few months out from graduating at Depaul University. Right after finishing school I moved to Denver where I worked a series of odd jobs including door to door phone salesman, solar panel salesman, boxing instructor and eventually landed a corporate gig in an office downtown. When I launched the company I was still working full time in this office job that, coupled with some big life events, was leaving me quite depressed. The decision to go full time on ice cream was a somewhat scary departure from a safe job into the unknown. As soon as I made my mind up to put in my two weeks notice I immediately felt happiness I didn’t know was possible.
Where did the inspiration for the brand come from?
The goal since day one of RoseBud has been to create the best ice cream ever, and to use it to improve people’s lives. I grew up eating a lot -- like a lot -- of ice cream and it was always something that I associated with happy memories. The motivation for me has always been to give people something that when they have a reason to celebrate or need a pick me up, RoseBud is the ice cream they can turn to make a bad day good and a good day great. Since the company’s inception I have always wanted to use this brand to help people, in more ways than just giving them delicious ice cream. Being as competitive as I am a big thing that inspires what we do is to be the best ice cream on the market.
Who in the industry do you turn to for inspiration? Any other brands in the industry that you admire?
I’ve been very fortunate to get connected with some really great folks in the industry. It’s not surprising considering how many lovely people there are in the CPG space that are all happy to help the next person on their way up. I’ve met so many people willing to offer a helping hand simply because they know now how tough CPG can be. I was incredibly lucky to connect with the founder of 34 Degree Crackers, Craig Lieberman, through our shared passion of boxing. I was coaching at the boxing gym he trained out of and we noticed each other wearing merch from our respective brands. We ended up connecting and training together. What I could provide in boxing insight, Craig would match with business insight. It’s a cool relationship that I value very much.
What have been the challenges of navigating the CPG industry?
We’ve been bootstrapping since the beginning and there are so many expensive lessons learned in the CPG journey. The toughest thing has been catching up with the learning curve of what it takes to succeed in the business. For instance, we wanted to avoid hiring a brokerage because we thought we could do it ourselves. We hired a brokerage to help with sales last month and I’m already regretting not having done so two years ago.
Ice cream is incredibly competitive because of how finite frozen space is in a grocery store. Any business has inherent challenges to it, but adding the frozen element to what we do has definitely added a layer of complexity to the business.
What impact has the current economy had on the brand?
It’s definitely inspired us to run more pricing promotions. We’re constantly seeking efficiencies in everything we do to try and drive down our expenses. We want people to be able to enjoy our ice cream to help them decompress from what’s going on in the world. If money is stressing them out then the last thing we want to do is try and raise our prices. Despite retailers and brands raising their prices we remain committed to doing everything we can to drop our prices. I’d rather make less money and leave people happy than try to make an extra dollar at the expense of someone else’s sweet release.
What were some of the highs/lows from 2023?
To be honest I’ve had more than a few lows this year but I choose to look at them as lessons so I don’t get down on myself. I’m fortunate to have a great business partner and an incredibly supportive group of family and friends who help me stay focussed on what’s important when things don’t work out well. My nephew turns one next week and watching him grow this past year has been a true high.
As a founder, what do you do to take care of your health - both physical and mental?
Time management to avoid feeling like I’m constantly on the clock has been a priority for the year. Even though I typically work 7 days a week the goal is to make sure I carve out time for myself on those days. I’ve been boxing for about 14 years and that’s something that I still use to keep my physical and mental health afloat. It serves as a fun way to exercise. There is always something to work toward improving so it keeps my mind engaged throughout the work outs and helps me tune out the rest of the day.
Perserverance, patience, and kindness will take you far in this business.
What advice do you have for early-stage entrepreneurs?
Perserverance, patience, and kindness will take you far in this business. A lot of people will tell you “no” but it’s nothing personal. Just keep going even on days you don’t feel like it and it will pay off. Also, be ready for distributor chargebacks… that shit is a killer.
What foods do you always have in your cupboards/fridge?
Since I’m pretty much always in a different stage of recipe development behind the scenes there’s always ice cream in my freezer. RoseBud recipes take up to a few years to get perfect which means there’s always different versions of ice cream creations in the freezer, and as a result of that they end up being in my friends' freezers too.
What are some other brands you think are killing it?
Melinda’s Hot Sauce! They make great products and are doing an excellent job of changing the way people look at hot sauce. I also look at Luna Bay Hard Kombucha and Lil Bucks as being great brands that are worth mentioning. I started following those brands on social media after following their founders on LinkedIn and they just seem like they are constantly kicking ass.
What trends do you think are here to stay?
I think that regenerative agriculture and variations of sustainability will not be going anywhere, or at least I hope so. With data suggesting that different demographics have varying definitions for what they consider to be “healthy” I think that clean ingredient labels are going to be more important than things that claim to be zero calroie/zero sugar, etc. We’re seeing a return to category normalization in that indulgence is taking priority over better for you claims in ice cream which is pretty cool to me and I think its largely a result of that shift in consumer thought process.
What are your goals for 2024?
We’re going to be releasing a new innovative novelty line in the beginning of the year and the goal is to use that to open up a few thousand doors for RoseBud. As always, the goal remains to make bad days good, and good days great. We seek to provide happiness in every pint, and every bite of our amazing ice cream!
Super-premium desserts are having a moment right now. While there is a place for protein-packed, low sugar treats, consumers are indulging in nostalgic favorites like brownies, cookies and ice cream. This is where RoseBud Ice Cream comes in. Founded by Sam Rose, this Denver-based company is churning out some of the tastiest ice creams in freezers across America.
With flavors like Fancy A** Vanilla, Midnight Mint, Paw Prints, Mighty Fine Chocolate and Moonlight Daydream -- to name a few -- each pint of RoseBud Ice Cream is meant to transport you to moments of everyday happiness ... making bad days good, and good days great.
We sat down with Sam to talk genesis of the brand, the highs and lows of navigating the CPG industry (especially in frozen), how he manages work/life balance, goals for 2024, and advice for other founders. Grab a spoon and let's get scooping!
What were you up to prior to starting the world’s best ice cream brand?
The RoseBud journey began back in 2016 when I was a few months out from graduating at Depaul University. Right after finishing school I moved to Denver where I worked a series of odd jobs including door to door phone salesman, solar panel salesman, boxing instructor and eventually landed a corporate gig in an office downtown. When I launched the company I was still working full time in this office job that, coupled with some big life events, was leaving me quite depressed. The decision to go full time on ice cream was a somewhat scary departure from a safe job into the unknown. As soon as I made my mind up to put in my two weeks notice I immediately felt happiness I didn’t know was possible.
Where did the inspiration for the brand come from?
The goal since day one of RoseBud has been to create the best ice cream ever, and to use it to improve people’s lives. I grew up eating a lot -- like a lot -- of ice cream and it was always something that I associated with happy memories. The motivation for me has always been to give people something that when they have a reason to celebrate or need a pick me up, RoseBud is the ice cream they can turn to make a bad day good and a good day great. Since the company’s inception I have always wanted to use this brand to help people, in more ways than just giving them delicious ice cream. Being as competitive as I am a big thing that inspires what we do is to be the best ice cream on the market.
Who in the industry do you turn to for inspiration? Any other brands in the industry that you admire?
I’ve been very fortunate to get connected with some really great folks in the industry. It’s not surprising considering how many lovely people there are in the CPG space that are all happy to help the next person on their way up. I’ve met so many people willing to offer a helping hand simply because they know now how tough CPG can be. I was incredibly lucky to connect with the founder of 34 Degree Crackers, Craig Lieberman, through our shared passion of boxing. I was coaching at the boxing gym he trained out of and we noticed each other wearing merch from our respective brands. We ended up connecting and training together. What I could provide in boxing insight, Craig would match with business insight. It’s a cool relationship that I value very much.
What have been the challenges of navigating the CPG industry?
We’ve been bootstrapping since the beginning and there are so many expensive lessons learned in the CPG journey. The toughest thing has been catching up with the learning curve of what it takes to succeed in the business. For instance, we wanted to avoid hiring a brokerage because we thought we could do it ourselves. We hired a brokerage to help with sales last month and I’m already regretting not having done so two years ago.
Ice cream is incredibly competitive because of how finite frozen space is in a grocery store. Any business has inherent challenges to it, but adding the frozen element to what we do has definitely added a layer of complexity to the business.
What impact has the current economy had on the brand?
It’s definitely inspired us to run more pricing promotions. We’re constantly seeking efficiencies in everything we do to try and drive down our expenses. We want people to be able to enjoy our ice cream to help them decompress from what’s going on in the world. If money is stressing them out then the last thing we want to do is try and raise our prices. Despite retailers and brands raising their prices we remain committed to doing everything we can to drop our prices. I’d rather make less money and leave people happy than try to make an extra dollar at the expense of someone else’s sweet release.
What were some of the highs/lows from 2023?
To be honest I’ve had more than a few lows this year but I choose to look at them as lessons so I don’t get down on myself. I’m fortunate to have a great business partner and an incredibly supportive group of family and friends who help me stay focussed on what’s important when things don’t work out well. My nephew turns one next week and watching him grow this past year has been a true high.
As a founder, what do you do to take care of your health - both physical and mental?
Time management to avoid feeling like I’m constantly on the clock has been a priority for the year. Even though I typically work 7 days a week the goal is to make sure I carve out time for myself on those days. I’ve been boxing for about 14 years and that’s something that I still use to keep my physical and mental health afloat. It serves as a fun way to exercise. There is always something to work toward improving so it keeps my mind engaged throughout the work outs and helps me tune out the rest of the day.
Perserverance, patience, and kindness will take you far in this business.
What advice do you have for early-stage entrepreneurs?
Perserverance, patience, and kindness will take you far in this business. A lot of people will tell you “no” but it’s nothing personal. Just keep going even on days you don’t feel like it and it will pay off. Also, be ready for distributor chargebacks… that shit is a killer.
What foods do you always have in your cupboards/fridge?
Since I’m pretty much always in a different stage of recipe development behind the scenes there’s always ice cream in my freezer. RoseBud recipes take up to a few years to get perfect which means there’s always different versions of ice cream creations in the freezer, and as a result of that they end up being in my friends' freezers too.
What are some other brands you think are killing it?
Melinda’s Hot Sauce! They make great products and are doing an excellent job of changing the way people look at hot sauce. I also look at Luna Bay Hard Kombucha and Lil Bucks as being great brands that are worth mentioning. I started following those brands on social media after following their founders on LinkedIn and they just seem like they are constantly kicking ass.
What trends do you think are here to stay?
I think that regenerative agriculture and variations of sustainability will not be going anywhere, or at least I hope so. With data suggesting that different demographics have varying definitions for what they consider to be “healthy” I think that clean ingredient labels are going to be more important than things that claim to be zero calroie/zero sugar, etc. We’re seeing a return to category normalization in that indulgence is taking priority over better for you claims in ice cream which is pretty cool to me and I think its largely a result of that shift in consumer thought process.
What are your goals for 2024?
We’re going to be releasing a new innovative novelty line in the beginning of the year and the goal is to use that to open up a few thousand doors for RoseBud. As always, the goal remains to make bad days good, and good days great. We seek to provide happiness in every pint, and every bite of our amazing ice cream!
Super-premium desserts are having a moment right now. While there is a place for protein-packed, low sugar treats, consumers are indulging in nostalgic favorites like brownies, cookies and ice cream. This is where RoseBud Ice Cream comes in. Founded by Sam Rose, this Denver-based company is churning out some of the tastiest ice creams in freezers across America.
With flavors like Fancy A** Vanilla, Midnight Mint, Paw Prints, Mighty Fine Chocolate and Moonlight Daydream -- to name a few -- each pint of RoseBud Ice Cream is meant to transport you to moments of everyday happiness ... making bad days good, and good days great.
We sat down with Sam to talk genesis of the brand, the highs and lows of navigating the CPG industry (especially in frozen), how he manages work/life balance, goals for 2024, and advice for other founders. Grab a spoon and let's get scooping!
What were you up to prior to starting the world’s best ice cream brand?
The RoseBud journey began back in 2016 when I was a few months out from graduating at Depaul University. Right after finishing school I moved to Denver where I worked a series of odd jobs including door to door phone salesman, solar panel salesman, boxing instructor and eventually landed a corporate gig in an office downtown. When I launched the company I was still working full time in this office job that, coupled with some big life events, was leaving me quite depressed. The decision to go full time on ice cream was a somewhat scary departure from a safe job into the unknown. As soon as I made my mind up to put in my two weeks notice I immediately felt happiness I didn’t know was possible.
Where did the inspiration for the brand come from?
The goal since day one of RoseBud has been to create the best ice cream ever, and to use it to improve people’s lives. I grew up eating a lot -- like a lot -- of ice cream and it was always something that I associated with happy memories. The motivation for me has always been to give people something that when they have a reason to celebrate or need a pick me up, RoseBud is the ice cream they can turn to make a bad day good and a good day great. Since the company’s inception I have always wanted to use this brand to help people, in more ways than just giving them delicious ice cream. Being as competitive as I am a big thing that inspires what we do is to be the best ice cream on the market.
Who in the industry do you turn to for inspiration? Any other brands in the industry that you admire?
I’ve been very fortunate to get connected with some really great folks in the industry. It’s not surprising considering how many lovely people there are in the CPG space that are all happy to help the next person on their way up. I’ve met so many people willing to offer a helping hand simply because they know now how tough CPG can be. I was incredibly lucky to connect with the founder of 34 Degree Crackers, Craig Lieberman, through our shared passion of boxing. I was coaching at the boxing gym he trained out of and we noticed each other wearing merch from our respective brands. We ended up connecting and training together. What I could provide in boxing insight, Craig would match with business insight. It’s a cool relationship that I value very much.
What have been the challenges of navigating the CPG industry?
We’ve been bootstrapping since the beginning and there are so many expensive lessons learned in the CPG journey. The toughest thing has been catching up with the learning curve of what it takes to succeed in the business. For instance, we wanted to avoid hiring a brokerage because we thought we could do it ourselves. We hired a brokerage to help with sales last month and I’m already regretting not having done so two years ago.
Ice cream is incredibly competitive because of how finite frozen space is in a grocery store. Any business has inherent challenges to it, but adding the frozen element to what we do has definitely added a layer of complexity to the business.
What impact has the current economy had on the brand?
It’s definitely inspired us to run more pricing promotions. We’re constantly seeking efficiencies in everything we do to try and drive down our expenses. We want people to be able to enjoy our ice cream to help them decompress from what’s going on in the world. If money is stressing them out then the last thing we want to do is try and raise our prices. Despite retailers and brands raising their prices we remain committed to doing everything we can to drop our prices. I’d rather make less money and leave people happy than try to make an extra dollar at the expense of someone else’s sweet release.
What were some of the highs/lows from 2023?
To be honest I’ve had more than a few lows this year but I choose to look at them as lessons so I don’t get down on myself. I’m fortunate to have a great business partner and an incredibly supportive group of family and friends who help me stay focussed on what’s important when things don’t work out well. My nephew turns one next week and watching him grow this past year has been a true high.
As a founder, what do you do to take care of your health - both physical and mental?
Time management to avoid feeling like I’m constantly on the clock has been a priority for the year. Even though I typically work 7 days a week the goal is to make sure I carve out time for myself on those days. I’ve been boxing for about 14 years and that’s something that I still use to keep my physical and mental health afloat. It serves as a fun way to exercise. There is always something to work toward improving so it keeps my mind engaged throughout the work outs and helps me tune out the rest of the day.
Perserverance, patience, and kindness will take you far in this business.
What advice do you have for early-stage entrepreneurs?
Perserverance, patience, and kindness will take you far in this business. A lot of people will tell you “no” but it’s nothing personal. Just keep going even on days you don’t feel like it and it will pay off. Also, be ready for distributor chargebacks… that shit is a killer.
What foods do you always have in your cupboards/fridge?
Since I’m pretty much always in a different stage of recipe development behind the scenes there’s always ice cream in my freezer. RoseBud recipes take up to a few years to get perfect which means there’s always different versions of ice cream creations in the freezer, and as a result of that they end up being in my friends' freezers too.
What are some other brands you think are killing it?
Melinda’s Hot Sauce! They make great products and are doing an excellent job of changing the way people look at hot sauce. I also look at Luna Bay Hard Kombucha and Lil Bucks as being great brands that are worth mentioning. I started following those brands on social media after following their founders on LinkedIn and they just seem like they are constantly kicking ass.
What trends do you think are here to stay?
I think that regenerative agriculture and variations of sustainability will not be going anywhere, or at least I hope so. With data suggesting that different demographics have varying definitions for what they consider to be “healthy” I think that clean ingredient labels are going to be more important than things that claim to be zero calroie/zero sugar, etc. We’re seeing a return to category normalization in that indulgence is taking priority over better for you claims in ice cream which is pretty cool to me and I think its largely a result of that shift in consumer thought process.
What are your goals for 2024?
We’re going to be releasing a new innovative novelty line in the beginning of the year and the goal is to use that to open up a few thousand doors for RoseBud. As always, the goal remains to make bad days good, and good days great. We seek to provide happiness in every pint, and every bite of our amazing ice cream!
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