Betty Inc

Betty Jo’s Cherry Pie Ice Cream Blows Up in NYC

"Founded by Maddie Nehlen and Erin Forden, this small-batch ice-cream operation began with the two making pints in their apartment kitchens, taking monthly reservation drops (which go live on the first of each month) and hand-delivering $12 pints across the city. Early flavors included Coney Island Queens (vanilla with waffle-cone chunks and chocolate sprinkles), while a lattice-topped cherry pie — with a candy-red compote beneath a frozen lattice crust sitting on a milky vanilla-bean base studded with pie-crust chunks and more cherry jam — became a viral sensation after an influencer TikTok (Chelsea Zeferina) amassed about 1.2 million views. The founders describe the concept as a “very luxury Coldstone,” producing a lighter, Philadelphia-style, eggless ice cream whose occasional ice crystals are framed as an endearing imperfection. Rapid sellouts following the viral video pushed them to scale up for August (100 pints total, split between delivery and a first in-person event), invest in supplemental freezers, consider commercial kitchen space, churn batches in four-quart machines, assemble the pie-like pints by hand, and ship orders with dry ice; they expect to break even by September." - Tammie Teclemariam