Laura O'Neill: Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Co-Founder

Second Life

Clique Media, Female Founder, Entrepreneurship, Career Change, Career Pivot, Fashion & Beauty, Hillary Kerr, Personal Journals, Who What Wear, Clique, Career, Arts, Business, Careers, Second Life, Career Advice, Self-made, Entrepreneur, Mydomaine, Society & Culture

4.7 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 1 July 2024

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Laura O'Neill is the co-founder of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. O'Neill grew up in Melbourne and worked in event producing before deciding to travel the world. She met her future partner Ben Van Leeuwen on a fateful trip to London, and when she moved to New York to be with him, he proposed a wild idea: They should start a well-designed ice cream truck that sold delicious, high-quality ice cream. Thus, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream was born. In the last 15 years O'Neill, Van Leeuwen, and his brother Pete have positioned the brand as a household name—one synonymous with truly delectable ice cream. Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is sold in over 12,000 grocery stores, has over 50 stores in the United States, and recently opened its first-ever franchise store in Singapore. Later this year, the first-ever Van Leeuwen Flavor Lab will be opened in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi everyone I'm Hillary Kerr, the co-founder and chief content officer of Who What
0:10.6	Where and this is Second Life?
0:14.0	A podcast spotlighting women who have truly inspiring careers.
0:19.0	We're talking about their work journeys, what they've learned from the process of setting aside their doubts or fears, and what
0:25.9	happens when they embark on their second life.
0:29.3	Today, I have the pleasure of chatting with the co-founder of Van Lou and Ice Cream, Laura O'Neill.
0:36.5	Laura grew up in Australia and worked in event production at the beginning of her career,
0:41.6	but a fateful trip in her early 20s took her to London, where
0:45.6	she met her future partner and Van Lewin co-founder, Ben Van Lewin.
0:51.2	Right before she moved to New York to be with him, he shared his crazy idea with her.
0:56.0	What if they started an ice cream truck that sold actually good ice cream?
1:01.8	Barely a year after she landed in the States, Laura, Ben, and his brother Pete had launched Van Lou
1:07.9	and Ice Cream.
1:09.2	The three of them spent the next decade pouring everything they had into the business, slowly expanding their offerings,
1:15.9	opening brick and mortar stores, and developing delicious vegan options.
1:21.4	Although Laura and Ben ultimately split, they continue to grow the business together and today,
1:27.0	Laura has hands on everything related to marketing.
1:30.0	She's guided Van Lueen through packaging re-brands, collaborations with celebrities like Jimmy Butler,
1:36.6	and special edition flavors like Hidden Valley Ranch.
1:41.4	And as of this year, Van Lueen has over 50 stores and is sold in 12,000 grocery stores.
1:47.0	Laura is such a creative businesswoman and I love her attitude about what working with other people can teach you.
1:54.9	She's gonna get into it, but first today on Second Life it's Laura O'Neill.
	...

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