The Company

Health and wellness is on the rise. People are converting to “Better-For-You” desserts. And yet, Chris Spencer and Gabby Sanders could not find an all-natural, high protein, low calorie, low sugar ice cream that tasted amazing. We waited many years for the high protein, low-calorie dessert of our dreams to hit the market, and yet, nothing happened. We declared the waiting game over and made it ourselves. 

We bought a small ice cream machine and launched UpStar Ice Cream in their 600 square foot apartment.

We had no money, no connections, no investors, and certainly no expertise. All we had was a dream for better healthy ice cream. We began hand packing and labeling ice cream pints, one by one, in our 600 square foot apartment. We started delivering pints door to door and to local gyms, one pint at a time.  

Tastes just like real ice cream. No artificial taste. Clean ingredients. Exceptional nutrition. Period.

This is the feedback we received. Transparency and clarity has been our motto since day one. Industry leaders thought we were crazy. We heard everything. “This will never work, the market is already saturated, it cost too much money, yada yada yada…” We did it anyways.

So what if it took us one year to solidify our base recipe.

We A/B sampled over 300 different ingredients. We made more than 500 iterations of our base recipe. But looking back, it was well worth it. We believe innovation has no shortcuts. We set the highest standards for our product. It goes like this: CANI – Constant and Never-Ending Improvement.

A college couple starting a business together, who do you think you are?

Sure, starting a company with your significant other is a bit difficult. But we love each other and love what we do. And our identity always stays true. Health Enthusiasts, check. Adventurers, check. Risk takers, check. Gym junkies, well… sometimes. It’s who we are.

Stay True

Venture capitalist, ice cream experts, branding extraordinaire, of course not. We are the anomaly. Outsiders and dreamers with an eye for health, wellness, vitality, and nutrition. Simply put, we make healthy ice cream RIGHT! Ice cream that is high protein, low calorie, low sugar, and tastes amazing. 

Founding Team

Chris Spencer, Gabrielle Sanders

Industry

Food/Beverage

Business Strategy

Scale

Funding Source

Angel Funded

Exit Strategy

Acquisition

Founded

2017

Year Joined

2018

Chapter

Portland