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Upstart Startups: Super Secret Ice Cream

Published Wednesday Sep 1, 2021

Author Matthew J. Mowry

Upstart Startups: Super Secret Ice Cream

Kristina Zontini has worked with nonprofits, overseen operations at a cooking school in San Francisco and, most recently, served as marketing director at Littleton Coop. But when she was ready for a change, she drew inspiration from her teenage years working in ice cream shops.

She began experimenting with making her own ice cream and sharing it with family and friends. “I turned our ski shed into an ice cream pick up stand,” Zontini says. She didn’t want just anyone showing up to her Littleton home to pick up ice cream during the pandemic and asked folks to keep it on the down-low, jokingly dubbing her endeavor the Super Secret Ice Cream Club.

But when she saw how much people loved her concoctions, she decided to drop club from the name and, with help from the Small Business Development Center, make her hobby a business. She bought a commercial ice cream machine and a push cart and began selling her ice cream at the Littleton Farmer’s Market in June 2020.

“I found a way to give people some joy without putting anyone’s health in danger,” Zontini says.

Zontini produces “tiny batch” ice cream using locally sourced, fresh ingredients to make her bases from scratch. She is always experimenting with ingredients and among her dozens of unique flavors are Blueberry Chip, Roasted Pineapple, Wild Chamomile Honeycomb and Strawberry Rhubarb Swirl.

She is beginning to grow Super Secret Ice Cream by serving her frozen treats at weddings and community and corporate events, including a recent employee appreciation event at Pete and Gerry’s Eggs. “There is a market for a cute ice cream truck at your wedding or event and treating your guests to something special,” Zontini says.

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