Simply Ice Cream’s journey is a clear reminder that growth does not have to come at the expense of integrity. By staying committed to natural ingredients, small-batch production and close relationships with suppliers and stockists, the brand has created something both enduring and distinctive within the UK artisan ice cream market.
What led to the founding of Simply Ice Cream, and what gap in the artisan ice cream market did you identify at the time?
Simply Ice Cream was born off the back of my catering business. I ran (and still run) a catering company, and I kept getting requests for my homemade Heavenly Honeycomb ice cream. At first, I made it just for family and friends, but the demand grew, and I began to wonder if I could take it further. We created the brand and packaging and started selling to local farm shops, and the rest, as they say, is history.
I felt there was a real gap in the market for truly artisan ice cream made the way people make it at home…using simple, natural ingredients and traditional methods. Our ice cream stands out because it’s made with 50% double cream and just a handful of natural ingredients. I’ve never used artificial colours, flavours or preservatives; I just don’t think ice cream needs them. For me, it’s all about simple, great-quality ingredients, hand-whisked with care.
As a British brand working in the premium ice cream category, how would you define your core brand values and product philosophy?
At Simply Ice Cream, our core brand values and product philosophy are rooted in a belief that simple, natural food tastes best. We’re passionate about artisan quality, crafting every batch by hand in small quantities to ensure every scoop delivers that homemade, indulgent experience.
Our ice creams and sorbets are made using natural, locally sourced ingredients wherever possible, with no artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives. From hand-whisking each batch to hand-potting every flavour, we take care over every step of the process. I make my own gingerbread cookies for our Gingerbread ice cream and collaborate with other local producers to create some of our other flavours.
We’re community-focused, proud to work with local suppliers, and committed to bringing moments of indulgence and joy to every occasion. Ultimately, Simply Ice Cream is about handcrafted, natural, and delicious treats that turn everyday moments into something special.
How does Simply Ice Cream approach recipe development and flavour innovation while maintaining quality and consistency?
At Simply Ice Cream, our approach to recipe development and flavour innovation is grounded in experience and understanding our customers’ favourites. Having produced ice cream for over 20 years, we’ve developed a strong sense of the flavours people love most. Our core collection - including favourites like Divine Chocolate, Heavenly Honeycomb, and Salted Caramel - are always available and remain best-sellers.
Over the years, we’ve created over 30 delicious flavours that you can enjoy all year round on our website. While we don’t launch new flavours every month, we occasionally develop bespoke flavours for special events or hospitality partners and sometimes invite our customers to vote on new flavours they’d like to see.
This approach allows us to maintain the highest quality and consistency in every batch while still offering occasional seasonal or unique flavours. We’ve perfected our recipes over time, so every scoop reflects the same care, craftsmanship, and indulgence that our customers have come to expect.
In terms of ingredients, what standards guide your sourcing decisions, and how important is traceability and quality control within your supply chain?
At Simply Ice Cream, quality and traceability are at the heart of everything we do. We’ve always sourced our cream from British dairies and our fruit from local farms, ensuring our ingredients are as fresh and sustainable as possible. For some of our flavours, we collaborate with fellow artisan producers. Our Lemon Curd ice cream uses curd from The Wooden Spoon Co in Kent, and our Coffee & Kentish Cobnut Fudge features fudge from Fudge Kitchen, just outside Canterbury.
We are salsa accredited and have recently become halal certified which opens up some new opportunities for us and means our ice cream can be enjoyed by a wider audience.
We’re intentional about keeping our supply chain local and transparent, so our ingredients haven’t travelled miles to reach us. By working closely with trusted producers, we can guarantee the quality, flavour, and integrity of every ingredient that goes into our ice cream. It’s all part of our commitment to creating natural, handcrafted ice cream that tastes as good as it looks.
Can you explain the process behind producing small-batch, handmade ice cream and how this differs from mass-manufactured alternatives?
At Simply Ice Cream, we produce ice cream the same way you would at home, just on a slightly larger scale. We start by churning the cream in a stand mixer to achieve the perfect base texture. From there, we hand-whisk in the ingredients, ensuring every flavour is carefully incorporated. Once ready, we hand-pot the ice cream into 120ml, 500ml, 2-litre, or 4.75-litre tubs, hand-lid them, and stack them in crates before storing in our walk-in freezer.
It’s a hands-on, artisanal approach, and while it takes time, it allows us to maintain exceptional quality, texture, and flavour. This is very different from mass-manufactured ice cream, which relies on industrial machines, extensive processing, and added ingredients to produce large quantities quickly. Our small-batch method ensures every scoop is natural, creamy, and made with care.
With increasing demand for natural and minimally processed food, how has consumer behaviour shaped your product range and flavour direction?
We’ve definitely noticed more customers seeking out ice cream that’s less processed and made with real ingredients. Interestingly, this hasn’t really shaped our range or flavours, as we’ve always kept our recipes simple, with just a handful of natural ingredients. But it’s incredibly encouraging to see an increasing demand for the type of products we’ve been making all along.
Many of our new customers specifically mention “less processed” as a reason for choosing Simply Ice Cream. It feels like there’s been a real shift towards valuing quality and being willing to pay a little more for products that are better for them. Even though ice cream is a treat, ours is made without unnecessary additives, colours, or emulsifiers - ingredients that have been shown to have potential long-term effects. We’re proud to provide a confectionery product that’s indulgent yet made the right way.
Which Simply Ice Cream flavours consistently perform well, and are there any emerging trends in customer preferences you are seeing?
Our core flavours consistently perform best, with favourites like Dreamy Vanilla, Heavenly Honeycomb, Divine Chocolate, and Pistachio always proving popular. These are the flavours our customers return to time and again.
That said, we’re seeing a growing appetite for our more unique and adventurous flavours, such as Coconut, Brown Bread, Cherry with Cherry Brandy, and Stem Ginger & Marmalade. While people still love the classics, they’re increasingly excited to explore interesting flavour combinations that offer something a little different. It’s this mix of trusted favourites and bold, innovative options that keeps our range fresh and appealing to both long-time fans and new customers.
As an independent food business, what challenges have you encountered in scaling production while retaining artisanal quality?
As an independent food business, one of our main challenges has been managing the seasonality of our product. Spring and summer are our busiest periods, and we need all hands on deck to keep up with demand. Autumn and winter are quieter, so we scale back some production days. Thankfully, our team understands this cycle, and we make sure to be flexible with their needs as well.
For many years, we operated from a production kitchen near my home. In 2022, we moved to a much larger production site, with a spacious kitchen, extensive warehouse space, and room for our huge walk-in freezers. This move has allowed us to grow steadily and organically while continuing to produce small-batch, handmade ice cream without compromising our core values or quality standards. It’s been a careful balance, but staying true to our artisanal roots has always been the priority.
How do you approach distribution and retail partnerships, and what criteria determine where your products are stocked?
At Simply Ice Cream, we’ve always distributed our products directly to our retail partners. Many of our stockists are based in Kent, London, and the surrounding areas, so we deliver to them each week using our branded freezer van.
While we’ve traditionally managed distribution ourselves, we’re starting to explore working with wholesale and distribution partners in response to demand from new stockists. We began with local farm shops and independent retailers, but our range of stockists has grown significantly. Today, you’ll find Simply Ice Cream in theatres, parlours, cafes and restaurants, tourist attractions, and even selected Waitrose and Southern Co-op stores.
When considering where our products are stocked, we look for partners who share our values around quality, artisanal products, and customer experience, ensuring our ice cream is presented in a way that reflects the care and craftsmanship that goes into every tub.
Sustainability is a growing priority for consumers - what initiatives or long-term goals does Simply Ice Cream have within environmental responsibility and packaging?
Sustainability has always been important to us, and as a small business, it’s easier for us to make responsible choices. All our packaging is fully recyclable, and we use paper spoons in our small pots. By packing to order in small batches, we create virtually zero food waste, with no leftover ingredients or stock.
We also aim to source ingredients locally wherever possible, supporting local producers while reducing food miles. On the distribution side, we schedule deliveries once a week, rather than daily, to minimise CO₂ emissions.
Our approach is about making practical, sustainable choices at every stage of production while continuing to deliver the high-quality, handcrafted ice cream our customers love.
How important is online visibility, e-commerce and direct-to-consumer strategy for the future growth of Simply Ice Cream?
Online visibility, e-commerce, and a direct-to-consumer strategy are becoming increasingly important for the future growth of Simply Ice Cream. Initially, this wasn’t a priority for us, and our e-commerce revenue hasn’t been as strong as it could be. We only launched our website in 2021, after the pandemic, and if we had started earlier, we might be in a very different position today.
That said, website sales are growing year on year, and we’re consistently attracting new customers. Historically, we haven’t invested heavily in online marketing - we currently have just over 6k followers on Instagram and 3.5k on Facebook which we’ve grown organically - but migrating our website to Shopify last year has made managing e-commerce much easier. It allows us to control communication with our customers, launch new products independently, and improve the overall shopping experience.
Looking ahead, my goal is for online sales to make up 50% of our total revenue, which would be a transformative step for the business. It’s an area with huge potential, and we’re excited to grow our digital presence while continuing to deliver high-quality, handcrafted ice cream.
What role does customer feedback play in product development, and how do you measure satisfaction and market response?
Customer feedback plays a huge role in how we shape both our products and our service. Each month, we reach out to all new online customers to ask how they discovered us and what they thought of their order. The responses have been invaluable, giving us real insight into what people are looking for when they first find us, how they feel about the ice cream itself, and any suggestions they have for improvements.
We also maintain close relationships with our key stockists, who regularly share feedback from their customers. This combination of direct consumer insight and retailer input helps us monitor satisfaction, spot trends early, and ensure we’re consistently meeting expectations while staying true to our artisan values.
Looking ahead, what expansion plans, product developments or strategic goals are you focusing on for the next 12-24 months?
Looking ahead over the next 12-24 months, our focus is on building strategic partnerships and growing our distribution. One of our key goals is to secure a major catering or hospitality partner, which will provide consistent revenue and help offset the seasonality inherent in our business. We also plan to expand our manufacturing partnerships and deliver through a distributor, making it easier to reach new stockists and partners.
On the digital side, we’ll be investing more in online marketing and paid advertising, with the aim of tripling our online orders year on year. Overall, our strategy is to grow organically and sustainably while maintaining the artisanal quality and care that define Simply Ice Cream.
What advice would you offer to entrepreneurs entering the artisan food sector?
My advice for anyone entering the artisan food sector would be to be prepared for anything! Never compromise on your passion or the quality of what you do. Building relationships with other local producers is invaluable. Learning from others and being part of a supportive community can make all the difference.
Scale organically and thoughtfully, without compromising your traditional methods or the quality of your product. Use social media to spread the word and build a loyal community of customers and followers. Make sure your website is easy to navigate, tells your story, and showcases your products effectively. Finally, get a solid distribution process in place early on - it’s key to reaching new customers and maintaining consistency.
As consumer demand continues to shift towards less processed, more transparent food, Simply Ice Cream stands as an example of how traditional methods, thoughtful scaling and genuine craftsmanship can still thrive. It’s a brand built on care, consistency and flavour - and one that proves that when things are done properly, people really do taste the difference. Visit https://simplyicecream.co.uk/
