What Nicecream does

Nicecream is a small family-owned ice cream business founded in 2013 by Sandra and Gil and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The company specializes in handcrafted ice cream prepared on-site using a liquid nitrogen freezing technique that freezes the product instantly in front of guests, doubling as live entertainment. It operates exclusively in the Washington DC metropolitan area (DMV) across four distribution channels: mobile catering for corporate events, weddings, and private parties; a Clarendon storefront used for in-store party hosting; pint pickups via an e-commerce site built on Square; and local delivery, with a dedicated virtual events product for remote teams.

The product portfolio includes a rotating calendar of seasonal flavors with best sellers such as Purely Pistachio, Nutella, Honey Lavender, and Vanilla Chocolate Chunk, alongside a non-dairy Banana Whip option. Ingredients are sourced from a defined regional supply chain — blueberries from a family farm in Hammonton, NJ; lavender from Dumfries, VA; honey from a neighbor; hand-zested citrus; and pistachios ground in-house into nut butter. The business is brand-validated by recognition from ZAGAT, Washingtonian, and CNN, and has served enterprise clients including Capital One for events with 100+ guests.

Revenue is generated through professional services (mobile catering, in-store party hosting in 2-hour blocks) and direct pint sales; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is event-driven, with catering inquiries routed through dedicated emails ([email protected] and [email protected]), supplemented by a website, email newsletter, and social media. Customer segments span corporate events (primary), weddings, private parties, and remote/virtual teams. The company is privately held, bootstrapped (no funding rounds disclosed), and remains under founder operation with 11-50 employees.

Name

Nicecream

Legal name

Nicecream

Website

https://nicecream.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nicecream is a family-owned Arlington, Virginia ice cream caterer founded in 2013 that handcrafts ice cream on-site using liquid nitrogen for corporate events, weddings, private parties, and retail pint sales across the Washington DC metro area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Ice Cream Catering

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520), Food Service Contractors (722310)

SIC

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)

akta.pro primary industry

Soft-Serve & Custard Stands (THAFAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mobile Dessert Vendors (Ice Cream/Dessert Trucks & Carts) (THAFAHAG)

Keywords

• Handcrafted ice cream
• Ice cream catering
• Liquid nitrogen desserts
• Event catering services
• Frozen dessert delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ice Cream Catering Services: Mobile ice cream catering for events including corporate parties, weddings, and celebrations. Nicecream brings their team, fresh ingredients, and liquid nitrogen equipment to handcraft ice cream in front of guests.
2. Ice Cream Delivery: Delivery of fresh ice cream products to customers.
3. Pint Sales: Pre-packaged pints of ice cream available for pickup, including best sellers like Purely Pistachio, Nutella, Honey Lavender, and Vanilla Chocolate Chunk.
4. In-Store Party Hosting: Private rental of Nicecream store for 2-hour party events with dedicated party attendant crafting unlimited ice cream for guests.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nicecream handcrafts small-batch ice cream on the spot using liquid nitrogen, primarily for catered events such as weddings, corporate parties, birthday parties, and backyard BBQs in the DMV region. The company also sells pre-packaged pints and Banana Whip (a non-dairy frozen banana dessert) for pickup and delivery, and rents its Clarendon, Arlington store for private 2-hour hosted parties and virtual events.

Product overview

Nicecream is a small family-owned ice cream catering business based in Arlington, Virginia, operating since 2013. The company offers a portfolio of products centered on handcrafted ice cream made fresh on-site using liquid nitrogen: catering services for events (weddings, corporate functions, parties), ice cream delivery and pickup via pints, in-store party hosting at their Clarendon location, and virtual event experiences for remote teams. The core offering is the live ice cream crafting experience where staff prepare ice cream in front of guests using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. A non-dairy Banana Whip option is available as an alternative to their dairy-based ice cream.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ice Cream Catering Services Mobile ice cream catering for weddings, corporate parties, birthday parties, backyard BBQs, and other events across the DMV area. Nicecream brings its team, fresh ingredients, and liquid nitrogen equipment to handcraft ice cream in front of guests.
• In-Store Party Hosting Private rental of the Nicecream store in Clarendon, Arlington, Virginia for birthday parties, baby showers, bridal showers, engagements, and family celebrations. Each 2-hour booking includes a dedicated party attendant who handcrafts unlimited ice cream for guests on site.
• Virtual Events Remote/virtual ice cream experience for distributed teams and virtual gatherings, featuring live ice cream crafting sessions delivered via video conference so remote employees can participate in a shared activity.
• Ice Cream Pints Pre-packaged pints of handcrafted ice cream available for pickup, including best sellers such as Purely Pistachio, Nutella, Honey Lavender, Vanilla Chocolate Chunk, and rotating seasonal flavors. The pint line includes most gluten-free options and a non-dairy Banana Whip alternative.
• Ice Cream Delivery Delivery of fresh ice cream pints and catering orders to customers and event locations within the service area, complementing in-store pickup and on-site catering.
• Banana Whip Non-dairy dessert made from frozen whipped bananas that customers can add mix-ins to. Served as the only non-dairy dessert option for guests who do not consume dairy-based ice cream.

Quantifiable outcome

• Quickly sold out at local farmers markets in DC

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Jeni's operates scoop shops across multiple US cities plus shipping and catering. It competes with Nicecream on artisanal positioning, catering, and pint/premium distribution channels.
• Ample Hills Creamery: Ample Hills is a craft ice cream maker with multiple scoop shops and event/catering offerings, overlapping with Nicecream on small-batch story, local flavor influence, and event-driven revenue.
• Salt & Straw: Salt & Straw is a multi-city premium artisanal ice cream brand with strong storytelling around ingredients. It competes for the same premium dessert customer and corporate-event budgets that Nicecream targets, but at significantly greater scale.
• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: Van Leeuwen is a premium artisanal ice cream brand with national retail distribution and an event/catering presence, comparable to Nicecream on ingredient-driven positioning and premium price points.
• Mister Softee: Mister Softee is the iconic mobile ice cream truck/franchise operator in the US. It is comparable to Nicecream's mobile catering model via ice cream carts at events, though focused on soft-serve rather than liquid-nitrogen craft.
• Häagen-Dazs: Häagen-Dazs is a global premium ice cream brand with broad retail, foodservice, and catering distribution. It contextualizes Nicecream against the established premium ice cream incumbent it competes with for both consumer and corporate-event dollars.

Direct peers

• Coolhaus: Coolhaus combines an artisanal ice cream brand with mobile catering/truck and retail channels. Its event-driven catering plus pint retail model directly mirrors Nicecream's catering-plus-pickup go-to-market.
• Sub Zero Ice Cream: Sub Zero is a liquid-nitrogen ice cream franchise focused on made-to-order custom flavors, making it a direct competitor on the same core technology and customizable dessert experience that defines Nicecream.
• Creamistry: Creamistry operates a chain of liquid-nitrogen ice cream shops with made-to-order customization, the closest direct analog to Nicecream's on-the-spot liquid-nitrogen preparation model and dessert-shop retail format.

Regional players

• Graeter's: Graeter's is a long-standing regional premium ice cream maker based in the Midwest with catering and shipping. It is comparable to Nicecream on premium-ingredient positioning and event/catering offerings, though serving a different primary geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Nicecream

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Nicecream