Black Dog Gelato

What Black Dog Gelato does

Black Dog Gelato is a Chicago-based artisanal gelato maker founded by Jessica Oloroso (Chef Jessie) in 2007 (recipes) and 2010 (first scoop shop). The company operates three brick-and-mortar scoop shops in the Ukrainian Village, West Loop, and Logan Square neighborhoods, producing hand-crafted gelato and sorbet daily in a Northern-style base that is matured for 24 hours before churning. Its product portfolio centers on signature, rotating featured, and dairy-free gelato flavors (12 monthly), plus bakery items (cookies and bars), with unconventional flavor combinations such as Goat Cheese Cashew Caramel, Malort Gelato, and Sesame Fig Chocolate Chip that differentiate it from conventional ice cream shops.

The company monetizes through four primary streams: (1) in-shop retail and take-home pint sales at $12/pint or pre-order holiday units ($18/quart, $25/half gallon); (2) the Pint Club monthly subscription launched October 2020 at $35/month for three pints delivered or picked up locally; (3) catering services for weddings, corporate events, and parties via Gelato Sundae Stations or pre-packed gelato (72-hour lead time); and (4) limited-edition co-branded flavor collaborations with Chicago brands (Portillo's, Goose Island, Lula Cafe, Stephanie Izard's Girl & the Goat, Tiesta Tea). Distribution is augmented by third-party delivery via UberEats, DoorDash, Caviar, and Postmates. The customer base is predominantly long-tail Chicago consumers and foodies seeking novel, locally made gelato, with secondary B2B demand from event hosts and a small set of brand-collaboration partners.

The business is privately held, founder-owned, and bootstrapped with no disclosed venture capital or external funding. Operations are seasonal, with shops closing during winter and Pint Club providing a recurring-revenue bridge. Production capacity is reported at 400-700 gallons per week across the two main shops during peak season. Brand strength is evidenced by multiple Chicago best-in-class lists (Eater, Thrillist, The Infatuation #3 ranking, Chicago Sun-Times), national press (CNN, Iconic Life "Best Authentic Gelato in the U.S."), and the 2014 Gelato World Tour North America win.

Name

Black Dog Gelato

Legal name

Black Dog Gelato LLC

Website

https://blackdoggelato.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Black Dog Gelato is a Chicago-based, founder-owned artisanal gelato maker operating three scoop shops and a $35/month Pint Club subscription, producing Northern-style gelato daily with unconventional flavors and serving individual consumers, event hosts, and brand collaboration partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisanal Gelato Production

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)

akta.pro primary industry

Gelato Manufacturing (AFAHAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ice Cream & Gelato Shops (THAFAGAA)

Keywords

• Artisanal gelato production
• Frozen dessert manufacturing
• Gelato subscription service
• Event catering services
• Small batch ice cream

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Gelato Sales: Direct sales of gelato and sorbet at three brick-and-mortar scoop shop locations. In-season daily operations with pay-at-counter transactions.
2. Pint Club Subscription: Monthly subscription at $35/month providing 3 pints of gelato delivered or available for pickup. Includes loyalty points, discounts, and early access to limited editions.
3. Catering and Events: Catering services for corporate events, weddings, and parties. Minimum 72 business hours notice required. Includes Gelato Sundae Station and Pre-packed Gelato options.
4. Limited-Edition Collaborations: Special flavor collaborations with Chicago brands (Portillo's, Goose Island, Lula Cafe) sold through Pint Club and in-shop for limited time periods.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Black Dog Gelato produces and sells artisanal, hand-crafted gelato and sorbet made fresh in its Chicago kitchen daily, using a proprietary Northern-style base matured for 24 hours and simple local ingredients. The core product is rotating flavor gelato (signature, featured, and dairy-free) sold at three Chicago scoop shops, complemented by the Pint Club monthly pint subscription ($35/month) for year-round access and full-service gelato catering for weddings, corporate events, and private parties.

Product overview

Black Dog Gelato is a single-location artisanal gelato shop with a portfolio of products centered around hand-crafted gelato made fresh daily using a Northern-style base. The core offering consists of Artisanal Gelato in rotating seasonal and signature flavors, complemented by Sorbet options for dairy-free customers. The company offers a Pint Club subscription service for year-round at-home access and Gelato Catering Services for events. Additional offerings include Cookies & Bars sold in-shop. The company operates multiple physical locations in Chicago (Ukrainian Village, West Loop, and formerly Logan Square) and expanded reach through delivery partnerships with third-party platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pint Club: Monthly gelato subscription service launched in October 2020, offering three pints of gelato delivered monthly for $35/month with various member benefits.

Products and services

• Artisanal Gelato Hand-crafted gelato made fresh daily in the kitchen using a Northern-style base and simple local ingredients (milk, cream, sugar, eggs), featuring signature flavors like Goat Cheese Cashew Caramel, Mint Cookie, and Chocolate, with dairy-free and gluten-free options available. Sold by the scoop at Chicago shops and by the pint for takeout.
• Sorbet Dairy-free and egg-free sorbets made with minimal air incorporation for dense, flavorful results, including Dairy-Free Pina Colada, Dairy-Free Raspberry, Chocolate Sorbet (vegan), Blood Orange Sorbet, Strawberry Basil, and Cantaloupe Elderflower Sorbet. Sold in shops and through Pint Club.
• Pint Club Subscription Monthly subscription service ($35/month) delivering or making available for pickup three pints of freshly churned gelato, providing year-round access to Black Dog Gelato flavors during the off-season when scoop shops are closed for winter.
• Gelato Catering Services Full-service gelato catering for corporate events, weddings, and birthday parties in the Chicago area, offering Gelato Sundae Station and Pre-packed Gelato options with dairy-free and gluten-free flavor availability. Requires 72 business hours notice with minimum order requirements; quote-based pricing.
• In-Shop Cookies & Bars In-shop bakery items including Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies, Butterscotch Brownie, Chocolate Brownie, and Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Cookies, sold alongside gelato at the Chicago scoop shops.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #3 in Chicago Ice Cream Power Rankings by The Infatuation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration15 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Get Growing FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2021Summer 2021 collaboration featuring botanical-inspired dairy-free flavors with fresh herbs and floral notes. Plant Truck Chicago pop-ups at shop locations raising funds for community education programs.
• Portillo'sminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2020Flavor collaboration for November 2020 Pint Club launch. Created Portillo's Chocolate Cake gelato as one of three launch flavors. Initially exclusive to Pint Club subscribers before retail availability.
• Chai Love / Tiesta TeaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2020Tea-based flavor collaboration using Tiesta Tea products for November 2020 Pint Club flavors. Part of launch collaboration with well-known Chicago brands.
• Lula CafeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2020Neighborhood collaboration for Logan Square location. Created 'Lula' flavor inspired by Lula Cafe's signature 'Pasta Yiayia' dish featuring cinnamon, brown butter, and feta cheese. Available in shops for July 2020.
• Goose IslandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019Annual Prop Day collaboration since 2019 using Proprietor's Bourbon County Stout. Features notes of toasted coconut and bourbon pecan praline swirl. Pre-orders available online with release party at West Loop location.
• Stephanie Izard (Girl & the Goat)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2018Chef's Series inaugural collaboration June 2018. Created 'Toasted Mizu Giandjua Crunch' flavor. 10% of pint sales donated to Mission Muscle (Stephanie Izard's chosen charity). Featured strong female voices in Chicago food scene.
• @ propertiesminorGTM or Marketing Partner@ Loves Local marketing series - Chicago's #1 brokerage firm visited Chef Jessie at Logan Square shop to discuss Black Dog Gelato, Chicago-Style Gelato, and flavor inspiration. Content published on @ properties blog.
• Chicago Birthworks CollectiveminorOthersCommunity partnership for 'Scoops For Change' National Ice Cream Day 2020. Donated half of Sunday profits to birth and postpartum company for mamas and families of color.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Talenti Gelato: National gelato and sorbet brand (Unilever-owned) sold primarily through grocery retail. Comparable in gelato/sorbet category leadership but operates at mass scale through grocery channels rather than scoop shops.
• Häagen-Dazs: Iconic premium ice cream and frozen dessert brand with global scoop shops and grocery distribution. Comparable in premium positioning and frozen dessert category leadership, but at vastly larger scale and broader product breadth.

Direct peers

• Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Founder-driven artisanal ice cream brand operating scoop shops across multiple U.S. cities with a direct-to-consumer pint and subscription business. Closely comparable to Black Dog in premium positioning, unconventional flavors, founder-driven product, and D2C subscription model.
• Salt & Straw: Multi-city artisanal ice cream scoop shop known for creative, unusual flavors. Highly comparable in unconventional flavor strategy, scoop shop retail model, chef/founder-led brand identity, and national shipping of pints.
• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: Premium scoop shop chain with national retail distribution and DTC pint sales. Comparable in premium pricing, scoop-shop-plus-D2C model, and emphasis on creative flavors including dairy-free options.
• Coolhaus: Premium ice cream brand with scoop shops and grocery pint distribution. Comparable in unconventional flavor innovation, female-founder-led brand, and grocery/wholesale plus scoop shop model.
• Ample Hills Creamery: Artisanal scoop shop chain with creative, locally-inspired flavors. Comparable in small-batch artisanal production, scoop shop retail, and founder-driven creative flavor identity (now majority-owned by a strategic acquirer).
• Graeter's Ice Cream: Multi-generation artisanal ice cream maker with scoop shops and grocery pint distribution. Comparable in small-batch craft production, family/founder ownership model, and scoop-shop-plus-retail-pint model.
• Sweet Rose Creamery: Small-batch artisanal ice cream shop with multiple locations and creative seasonal flavors. Comparable as a chef-driven, multi-location scoop shop emphasizing fresh, locally-sourced ingredients and rotating creative flavors.

Regional players

• Mitchell's Ice Cream: Long-standing San Francisco-area artisanal ice cream scoop shop chain with grocery pint distribution. Comparable as a regional, multi-location artisanal scoop shop operator with strong local brand equity, but does not overlap geographically with Black Dog.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/blackdoggelato
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackdoggelato
• Xx.com/blackdoggelato
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-dog-gelato-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Black Dog Gelato