Nora's Plant-Based Ice Cream Mini Interview
Nora’s Plant-Based Ice Cream is incredibly popular with our customers year-round but the height of summer makes ice cream just a little extra delicious, so we thought this would be the perfect time to introduce you to Kat, Ice Cream Maker and Co-Founder of this fabulous independent BC-business. Like many excellent makers before them (and, we are sure, to come) their product was inspired by a desire for something that didn’t yet exist. For Kat and her partner Tyler, the only way to satisfy their craving for a particular kind of super rich and creamy dairy-free ice-cream was to create it themselves—and luckily for us all they not only nailed it, but decided to share their creation with the world. If Nora’s is already a fav we’re sure you’ll love getting to know a little about Kat, and if you haven’t tried any of their fab flavours yet, read on to find out why you definitely should. :)
Share your story with us in a 150 words or less.
After a disappointing search for non-dairy ice cream that actually satisfied like ice cream should, my partner Tyler and I decided to make our own ice cream at home using cashews as our magic ingredient. We wanted to be part of the societal shift towards a plant-based diet and make a positive impact on the planet, so we decided to take a leap of faith and start our business, Nora's! That was 5 years ago and we're now in about 250 stores across Western Canada and have recently entered the Ontario market as well.
Getting from an idea to a small business is a lot of work! When did it first sink in for you that ‘this is really happening’?
When we did our first trade show before we had even launched in a single store - we were there to sample the product out, get feedback, build excitement and talk to grocery buyers. We ended up having one of the busiest booths at the trade show, with people coming back multiple times, and the feedback was unbelievable. That definitely gave us the boost we needed to keep going!
Out of all your products, which is your personal favourite and why?
I love our Peanut Butter & Chocolate flavour - chocolate ice cream with ribbons of peanut butter and some sea salt. It's just such a classic flavour pairing and is so indulgent.
