The man who created a $ 2 billion ice cream business in his kitchen

The BBC's weekly series The Boss presents another business leader from around the world. This week, we spoke to Justin Woolverton, founder and CEO of the Halo Top ice cream brand.

A few years ago, Justin Woolverton asked American supermarkets to keep his low-calorie coolers in their freezers. ] Sales of its low-fat and low-sugar Halo Top brand were flat, and stores were continually threatened with stopping storing them.

"We were hooked by the skin of our teeth," says the 38-year-old "

In his wildest dreams, Mr. Woolverton could not have predicted how much this turnaround would be dramatic. Only six years after the start, its ice cream is now the best-selling brand in the United States.

With very little money for marketing, the Los Angeles-based start-up was trying to boost sales by working hard to promote itself on social media

Then in 2016, a GQ magazine reporter wrote a very witty article about how he ate only Halo Top ice cream for 10 consecutive days

The story became viral and sales of Halo Top have exploded.

In 2016, he reportedly sold 28.8 million bins, generating revenues of $ 132.4 million (101 million pounds sterling). It's more than the industry giants Ben & Jerry's (owned by Unilever) and Haagen-Dazs (owned by Nestle), and Halo Top values ​​around $ 2 billion.

Not bad for a small independent business without outside investors, other than the family and friends of Mr. Woolverton and his co-founder Doug Bouton.

Yet despite the brand's success, some critics have questioned the alleged health credentials of "guilt-free" ice cream. While others wonder if he should be allowed to call ice cream

Prior to founding Halo Top, Mr. Woolverton worked in Los Angeles as a corporate lawyer, a job with which he became disenchanted.

The idea of ​​ice was born from the restrictions that he had imposed on his diet

At home, instead of sweet treats, he would have a bowl of Greek yogurt with fruit, to which he would add stevia sweetener.

After buying a $ 20 ice cream maker, he put the mixture through to see what it would taste like. "It was delicious, so from there, it was like:" Holy cow, if I like that, why would not others like it? " "

Mr. Woolverton then began experimenting with ingredients, including milk, to make the concoction behave more like ice cream once frozen and allow it to be produced on a large scale.

" He honestly took a full year of failure early, "he says.

With friend Doug Button, a former lawyer on board, they were launching the company with money borrowed from their families and friends, student loans and £ 150,000 of credit card debts. credit.

million. Woolverton says he and Mr. Button more freedom. "We do not have costumes telling us what to do," he says.

To promote the brand on social media in its infancy, Mr. Woolverton had an original idea. He hired local students to send Halo Top coupons to people who were following YouTube and Instagram closely and posting on health and fitness.

"It was a very big marketing strategy," he says. "We thought that if they could buy it that's great, if they can not, we're on their radar anyway."

Alex Beckett, CEO of the Mintel Research Group, says Halo Top continues to "

" This has enhanced its appeal as a cool and courageous alternative to global ice cream brands through budgets advertising, "says Beckett

. "[Halo Top diet] is not something we recommend, to be clear, but it was a very entertaining article," says Woolverton. "This has attracted the attention of the brand."

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After the story became viral Halo Top saw a sales increase "[19659038"[Supermarkets] did not know how to deal with it either," says Woolverton. "For the first time, people were buying three, four or five pints at a time, it was the first ice cream that people could eat every day."

But should people really eat Halo Top every day?

Ice cream contains two sweeteners – erythritol and stevia – in place of much of the sugar. Although these products are widely used in the food industry and the authorities responsible for food give them a clear view of health, they have skeptics that could cause side effects, such as blood pressure. exacerbation of irritable bowel syndrome. and its low-calorie ice cream could actually help people gain weight. And some wonder if Halo Top should be allowed to call an ice cream because it contains so little milk fat.

million. Woolverton says that the brand's success "is a recognition of how smarter consumers are than many businesses think."

The success of Halo Top has also led to the launch of many other cream brands reduced ice. These include Unilever's Breyers Delight, Ben & Jerry's Moo-phoria and British start-up Oppo.

million. Woolverton has also been inundated with buyout proposals, including a $ 2 billion bid from Unilever. He has rejected them all and has his eyes riveted on world domination.

The company was launched in the UK last year and is exporting to countries such as Australia and Singapore. Halo Top Glaciers, called Scoop Shops, have also opened in the United States.

million. Woolverton is confident that here five years, Halo Top will be one of the biggest ice cream brands in the world. "We'll be as famous as Ben and Jerry," he says.