Multi-award-winning artisan ice cream business pleased to return to pre-pandemic focus on events
The founder of a multi-award-winning artisan ice cream business is pleased to return to her focus on weddings and events, which was her initial aim when she launched pre-pandemic.
Jo Rutherford founded Your Cool in late 2019, after many years as a thought in the back of her mind.
Having enjoyed making ice cream in her former domestic machine for friends and family, she decided to take the leap from her career in marketing management to create ice cream.
The business is a small batch, artisan producer of fresh and high quality ice creams and sorbets – made to order for local delivery or available as a unique addition to events.
As Your Cool was set up just months before the pandemic, Jo had to adapt and now offers a mixture of made-to-order ice cream for deliveries and events and stocks a number of independent businesses.
While Jo offers tens of traditional and seasonal flavours – all created from her home in Spratton – she goes out of her way to develop new ones at the request of her customers and continues to expand her range.
When asked how business has been so far this year for Your Cool, Jo told the Chronicle & Echo: “We’ve very much had a focus on events and weddings, and that’s been going well.
“People like the quality of the ice cream and the fact that when I do weddings or corporate events, I personalise the tubs. It’s an extra special thing or the chance to get a marketing message across.”
Jo believes no one else is offering a service like hers, particularly with all the ice creams and sorbets being fresh and handmade. The personalisation also adds a unique touch.
Though weddings and events have picked up, the demand for made-to-order home deliveries remains high – and Jo assures customers that the year will end with the usual big focus on Christmas ice creams.
Jo now has 107 flavours in her recipe bank, an impressive increase of more than 30 since she last spoke to the Chronicle & Echo, and there are definitely customer favourites at the moment.
Biscoff, lemon, lemon meringue and cherry with a hint of amaretto are proving particularly popular, and Jo has never had a greater request for sorbets.
Her newest innovative flavours, which were created off the back of customer requests, are limoncello, toffee crisp and pina colada.
With the business set to celebrate six years at the end of 2025, Jo admits she did anticipate the venture would come this far but panic set in when the pandemic arrived. She soon realised she could diversify with home deliveries.
Jo is pleased she can still offer this alongside the focus on events, which is what she intended to do from the outset.
The founder believes daring to be different and focusing on the quality of the ice cream and its taste are what have contributed to Your Cool’s success.
“Now I’ve moved back to weddings and corporate events, the plan is to do more of that,” said Jo. “I’m trying to get the message out to more businesses that if they want to treat their employees, why not do something different.”