Honeysuckle Gelato

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.

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

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

• Artisan gelato production
• Specialty frozen desserts
• Food hall retail
• Foodservice wholesale gelato
• Event catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Gelato Sales: Direct-to-consumer gelato sales through brick-and-mortar shop locations offering scoops, pints, gelato sandwiches, milkshakes, and baked goods
2. Foodservice/Bulk Sales: Provides gelato in 5-liter pan liners for restaurants, hotels, and ice cream/gelato shops
3. Catering Services: Full-service catering and prepackaged drop-off catering for events
4. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, koozies, and stickers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core 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.

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Feeding America NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHoneysuckle 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 RefugeesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorgia-based employment program partnership focused on supporting refugee communities through employment opportunities.
• Westside WorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorgia-based employment program partnership focused on Westside community employment initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad 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

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/category/ice-cream-parlor/Honeysuckle-Gelato-161758307222262
• Instagraminstagram.com/honeysucklegelato/?hl=en
• Xx.com/honeysuckleatl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Honeysuckle Gelato