Honeysuckle Gelato
Honeysuckle Gelato is a founder-owned, hand-crafted gelato and sorbet company operating six retail shops in premium Southeast US food halls, plus foodservice wholesale, catering, and merchandise lines, serving consumers, restaurants, hotels, and event clients across Georgia and North Carolina.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersAtlanta, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Honeysuckle Gelato does
Honeysuckle Gelato is a privately held, founder-owned hand-crafted gelato and sorbet company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, founded in 2011 by Jackson Smith, Wes Jones, and Khatera Ballard. It originated as a food truck before transitioning to brick-and-mortar retail and now operates six active shops in premium Southeast food halls and mixed-use destinations — Ponce City Market, Lee + White, and Parkside on Dresden in the Atlanta metro; Trilith in Fayetteville, GA; Fenton in Cary, NC; and Optimist Hall and The Bowl at Ballantyne in Charlotte, NC — with one additional location (Eastern Wharf, Savannah) temporarily closed. A production facility co-located at Lee + White supports retail, foodservice, and catering output. The product portfolio centers on hand-crafted gelato and sorbet (including Southern-inspired flavors such as Butter Pecan Blondie, Salted Caramel Brownie, Lemon Raspberry Crumble, and Bananas Foster), extended into gelato sandwiches, milkshakes, baked goods, and branded merchandise; seasonal flavor rotations and vegan options are part of the assortment.
The company monetizes through four distinct revenue streams. The largest is direct-to-consumer retail: scoops ($4.25–$5.50), pints ($8.50–$11.00), sandwiches, and milkshakes sold in shop, with prices varying modestly by market (Charlotte locations skew higher than Atlanta). A foodservice/wholesale division sells 5-liter pan liners to restaurants, hotels, and competing ice cream and gelato shops for back-of-house or display use. A catering line offers full-service and prepackaged drop-off gelato service for weddings, corporate events, and private functions. Branded merchandise (t-shirts, koozies, stickers) provides ancillary revenue. Customer engagement runs through Instagram, Facebook, a Square-based loyalty program, and earned media in Forbes, Bon Appetit, Vogue, Garden & Gun, Southern Living, and Atlanta Magazine.
Operationally, Honeysuckle Gelato runs with 11–50 employees, no disclosed external funding, and an owner-operator structure. Its mission-driven positioning — including a stated commitment to donate 5% of companywide profits to Feeding America partner food banks (725,000+ meals donated as of Spring 2024) and partnerships with Friends of Refugees and Westside Works — is central to brand identity rather than a marketing afterthought. Growth has been organic and regionally concentrated in the Southeast, with explicit signaling of additional store openings underway.
Honeysuckle Gelato firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Honeysuckle Gelato
- Legal name
- Honeysuckle Gelato
- Website
- https://honeysucklegelato.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Honeysuckle Gelato is a founder-owned, hand-crafted gelato and sorbet company operating six retail shops in premium Southeast US food halls, plus foodservice wholesale, catering, and merchandise lines, serving consumers, restaurants, hotels, and event clients across Georgia and North Carolina.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Honeysuckle Gelato industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artisanal Gelato
- NAICS
- Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520)
- SIC
- Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ice Cream & Gelato Shops (THAFAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Gelato Manufacturing (AFAHAEAD)
Keywords
Where Honeysuckle Gelato is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Atlanta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Honeysuckle Gelato business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail Gelato Sales: Direct-to-consumer gelato sales through brick-and-mortar shop locations offering scoops, pints, gelato sandwiches, milkshakes, and baked goods
- Foodservice/Bulk Sales: Provides gelato in 5-liter pan liners for restaurants, hotels, and ice cream/gelato shops
- Catering Services: Full-service catering and prepackaged drop-off catering for events
- Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, koozies, and stickers
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ponce City Market - Good Day (1-2 flavors) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ponce City Market - Better Day (1-3 flavors) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ponce City Market - Hand-scooped pint |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ponce City Market - Gelato Sandwiches |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ponce City Market - Milkshakes |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | The Bowl at Ballantyne - Good Day |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | The Bowl at Ballantyne - Better Day |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | The Bowl at Ballantyne - Specialty Pint |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | The Bowl at Ballantyne - Milkshake |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Honeysuckle Gelato product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Honeysuckle Gelato hand-crafts gelato and sorbet sold by the scoop, pint, gelato sandwich, milkshake, and baked good across 7 retail locations in Southeastern US food halls. In addition to direct retail, the company sells 5-liter pan liners to restaurants/hotels and offers full-service and drop-off catering for weddings, corporate events, and private functions. Branded merchandise (t-shirts, koozies, stickers) rounds out the offering at retail.
Product overview
Honeysuckle Gelato is a Southeastern US gelato and sorbet company operating multiple retail locations across Georgia and North Carolina. The core product is hand-crafted gelato and sorbet sold by the scoop, pint, gelato sandwiches, and milkshakes at their brick-and-mortar shops. The company also offers a foodservice/wholesale division (selling 5-liter pan liners to restaurants and hotels), catering services for events, and branded merchandise (stickers, koozies, T-shirts). The product portfolio is unified under the Honeysuckle Gelato brand with no modular platform architecture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hand-Crafted Gelato and Sorbet Hand-crafted gelato and sorbet in Southern-inspired flavors (Chocolate, Salted Caramel Brownie, Butter Pecan Praline, Birthday Cake, vegan options) sold by the scoop, pint, or as floats and milkshakes at retail shops across Georgia and North Carolina.
- Gelato Sandwiches Gelato sandwiches featuring flavors such as Fresh Mint Chip Brownie, Butter Pecan Blondie, and Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cookie, sold as a grab-and-go dessert item at retail locations.
- Milkshakes Custom milkshakes made with up to two gelato or sorbet flavors plus one topping, served in a keepsake mason jar at retail locations.
- Baked Goods Baked treats including chocolate chip cookies, warm brownies, chocolate chip lava cookies, and a la mode options sold alongside gelato at retail locations.
- Foodservice (Wholesale) Wholesale gelato and sorbet sold in 5-liter pan liners to restaurants, hotels, and ice cream/gelato shops for back-of-house service or display cabinets.
- Catering Full-service catering and prepackaged drop-off catering offering gelato service at weddings, corporate events, and private functions across the Southeast.
- Merchandise Branded merchandise including stickers, koozies, and T-shirts sold at retail locations.
Companies that use Honeysuckle Gelato
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Honeysuckle Gelato technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Honeysuckle Gelato partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Feeding America NetworkcoreHoneysuckle Gelato partners with Feeding America Network food banks to donate 5% of companywide profits. As of Spring 2024, the company has donated enough to provide over 725,000 meals to partner food banks. They also provide in-kind donations and volunteer opportunities.
- Friends of RefugeesminorGeorgia-based employment program partnership focused on supporting refugee communities through employment opportunities.
- Westside WorksminorGeorgia-based employment program partnership focused on Westside community employment initiatives.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Honeysuckle Gelato competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Marble Slab Creamery: Franchised premium ice cream chain with made-to-order frozen dessert concept. Comparable as a multi-location scoop-shop competitor though it competes at lower price points and via a franchise model rather than a founder-owned, artisanal positioning.
- Talenti: Mass-market gelato brand owned by Unilever, sold primarily through grocery and retail channels. Comparable as a gelato product but competes at very different scale and channel mix; represents the supermarket-shelf alternative to Honeysuckle's scoop-shop experience.
- Häagen-Dazs: Iconic global premium ice cream brand owned by General Mills, with both scoop shops and grocery pint distribution. A broad incumbent benchmark for category pricing, consumer expectations, and competitive positioning in the premium ice cream/gelato space.
Direct peers
- Coolhaus: Architecturally themed, premium ice cream and baked-goods brand with scoop trucks, retail, and wholesale. Directly comparable on the ice cream + baked good (cookie sandwich) bundle and on multi-channel D2C plus foodservice distribution.
- Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Premium, chef-driven scoop shop and pint brand with a multi-region retail footprint, direct-to-consumer shipping, and a founder-led identity. Highly comparable in product positioning (artisanal flavors, scoop/pint/sandwich model) and brand-led go-to-market, though at significantly larger scale.
- Graeter's: Multi-generational, family-owned premium ice cream maker with regional retail scoop shops and grocery pint distribution. Closely comparable as a craft, founder-influenced brand with foodservice and retail channels anchored in a specific US region.
- Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: Premium ice cream brand with a scoop-shop and DTC pint business, known for innovative and vegan flavors. Closely comparable on product craft, retail experience, and consumer demographic targeting.
- GROM: Italian-origin gelato brand with company-owned scoop shops and food retail distribution. Directly comparable in product (gelato) and shop-format retail, though operating primarily in Italy and select international markets.
- Salt & Straw: Chef-driven, small-batch ice cream brand with a scoop-shop retail model and cult brand following. Comparable in flavor innovation, premium pricing, and food-hall/flagship retail strategy; a strong analogue for Honeysuckle's Southern-flavor narrative at a national level.
- Sweet Rose Creamery: Small-batch, chef-driven ice cream scoop shop with a handful of locations and a strong neighborhood-retail presence. Comparable in shop format, premium positioning, and made-in-house flavor innovation.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Honeysuckle Gelato social profiles
Digital presenceHoneysuckle Gelato financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Honeysuckle Gelato leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Honeysuckle Gelato funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Honeysuckle Gelato M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Honeysuckle Gelato
What does Honeysuckle Gelato do?
Honeysuckle Gelato hand-crafts gelato and sorbet sold by the scoop, pint, gelato sandwich, milkshake, and baked good across 7 retail locations in Southeastern US food halls. In addition to direct retail, the company sells 5-liter pan liners to restaurants/hotels and offers full-service and drop-off catering for weddings, corporate events, and private functions. Branded merchandise (t-shirts, koozies, stickers) rounds out the offering at retail.
Is Honeysuckle Gelato a public or private company?
Honeysuckle Gelato is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Honeysuckle Gelato founded?
Honeysuckle Gelato was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Honeysuckle Gelato based?
Honeysuckle Gelato is headquartered in Atlanta, United States, in the North America region.
How does Honeysuckle Gelato make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retail Gelato Sales are the primary driver. The others are foodservice/Bulk Sales, catering Services and merchandise.
Who are Honeysuckle Gelato's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Marble Slab Creamery, Talenti and Häagen-Dazs. Direct peers are Coolhaus, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, Graeter's, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, GROM, Salt & Straw and Sweet Rose Creamery.
Does Honeysuckle Gelato have an API?
No public API is recorded for Honeysuckle Gelato.
What industry is Honeysuckle Gelato in?
Honeysuckle Gelato's product category is Artisanal Gelato. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAGAA, Ice Cream & Gelato Shops, with a secondary code of AFAHAEAD, Gelato Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 311520 and its SIC code is 2024.