I Am Love

What I Am Love does

I Am Love is an artisanal ice cream and café brand operated by the German private limited company 108 Freunde GmbH, founded by Kevin Kuhn in Bochum. The company produces ice cream and sorbets using natural binding agents (locust bean gum and guar gum) and sustainably sourced ingredients, including fair-trade vanilla from Mexico, Japanese green tea, Tunisian dates and Demeter-certified Indian Alphonso mangoes. Its portfolio spans more than 40 ice cream SKUs with vegan, lactose-free, gluten-free and sugar-alternative variants, alongside signature cultural-fusion flavors such as Culture-Cookies, Teheran (saffron-pistachio Bastani-style) and Mango Sticky Rice. Beyond ice cream, the cafés serve house-baked cakes, Belgian waffles, fresh juices, lemonades, smoothies, chai syrups, panini and soups.

The business generates revenue through four streams: direct-to-consumer scoop sales at retail cafés, ice cream catering rentals (mobile ice cart from €630 with staff; small ice display from €265 for self-service), savory catering, and private event-space rental at the Bochum flagship with an alcohol-free events policy. Go-to-market is primarily product-led via in-store experience and content marketing (the "The Whole World in a Cone" magazine and a website with a location-based flavor finder). The company serves individual consumers as its primary segment, with event planners and corporate hosts as a secondary segment, and operates 8 physical points across the Ruhr area in Germany, including institutional satellites at Bergmannsheil hospital, Ruhr-Universität Bochum and Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf.

The company is founder-controlled with no disclosed external investors, parent company or venture funding. Headcount is stated as 1-10 employees (with documented seasonal fluctuation), and the operating geographies are limited to the Ruhr area in Germany.

Name

I Am Love

Legal name

108 Freunde GmbH

Website

https://i-am-love.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

I Am Love is an artisanal ice cream and café brand in the German Ruhr area, producing more than 40 natural, sustainably sourced flavors, including vegan and lactose-free options, served across 8 cafés and via catering and event rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisanal Ice Cream and Café

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520), Baked Goods Retailers (445291)

SIC

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAFAGAA

Ice Cream & Gelato Shops

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Dessert, Ice Cream & Specialty Sweets Shops

SECONDARYTHAFAGAI

Dessert Cafes & Dessert Bars (Sit-Down)

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Dessert, Ice Cream & Specialty Sweets Shops

SECONDARYTHAFAFAG

Cafe-Bakeries (Bakery + Coffee/Foodservice)

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Bakeries & Patisseries

Keywords

• Artisanal ice cream
• Ice cream parlor
• Mobile ice catering
• Café and desserts
• Event venue rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Bochum

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Ice Cream Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of ice cream in scoops at physical café locations, including specialty cups and cones with fresh-made waffles and cakes.
2. Ice Catering Rental: Rental of mobile ice cart (€630+) with service personnel or self-service ice display (€265+) for events including birthdays, weddings, corporate events, and festivals.
3. Event Space Rental: Private room rental in Bochum location for celebrations including birthdays, weddings, corporate events, and baptisms. Includes catering options and alcohol-free events policy.
4. Food & Beverage: Sales of homemade cakes, Belgian waffles, juices, lemonades, smoothies, chai syrups, panini, soups, and daily specials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

I Am Love operates artisanal ice cream cafés producing handcrafted ice cream and sorbets using natural ingredients (locust bean gum and guar gum as binding agents) sourced from sustainable, fair trade and Demeter-certified suppliers. Beyond ice cream, the cafés sell house-baked cakes, Belgian waffles, fresh juices, lemonades, smoothies, savory panini and soups. The company also offers mobile ice cream catering, ice display rental, savory catering and private event space rental at its Bochum flagship for birthdays, weddings, corporate events and festivals.

Product overview

I AM LOVE is a traditional ice cream parlor and café concept offering handcrafted ice cream, sorbets, baked goods, beverages, and savory items across multiple physical locations in the Ruhr area of Germany. The company's core product is its ice cream, which it produces using natural ingredients sourced from sustainable agriculture and fair trade. The product portfolio includes over 40 ice cream varieties (under the I AM LOVE Eis brand), house-baked cakes and Belgian waffles (Kuchen & Waffeln), fresh juices and house-made drinks (Getränke), and savory snacks like Panini and soups (Herzhaftes). Beyond retail café operations, the company extends its offerings through event services: ice cream catering via mobile ice cream truck or rental display cases, savory catering for private and corporate events, and room rental at its Bochum flagship for celebrations and gatherings. The company operates six physical café locations in Bochum-Ehrenfeld (mothership), Witten, Essen Süd, Düsseldorf, Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, and additionally serves locations at Bergmannsheil hospital, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, and Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Gelato Messina: Australian artisanal gelato chain known for boundary-pushing seasonal flavors and cultural experimentation (e.g., durian, miso, wasabi flavors). Directly comparable to I Am Love on product-led differentiation, novel flavor innovation, and physical café experience with rotating signature creations.
• Salt & Straw: US small-batch artisanal ice cream maker famous for adventurous farm-to-cone flavors and storytelling. Comparable to I Am Love on handcrafted production, narrative-driven menu (sourcing stories), and a multi-location scoop shop model.
• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: US premium artisanal ice cream brand with a vegan-heavy menu and distinctive flavor launches (e.g., Kraft Mac & Cheese, Hidden Valley Ranch collaborations). Comparable to I Am Love in vegetarian/vegan positioning, premium ingredient story, and scoop-shop retail model.
• Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream: NYC-based premium artisanal ice cream shop with classic and unusual flavor combinations and a strong café aesthetic. Directly comparable to I Am Love on product-led differentiation, premium scoop-shop format, and emphasis on textural and ingredient quality.

Broad incumbents

• Mövenpick Ice Cream: Swiss-origin premium ice cream brand (Nestlé portfolio) sold in grocery and foodservice channels across Europe. Comparable as a heritage premium-ice-cream competitor in the German-speaking market that I Am Love's Demeter and fair-trade positioning must outflank on ingredient quality and authenticity.
• Ben & Jerry's: Unilever-owned premium ice cream brand with parlor-style scoop shops and unconventional flavor positioning (Chunky Monkey, Phish Food). Comparable as a brand-led premium ice cream operator that uses storytelling and ethical sourcing to justify premium pricing, much like I Am Love's cultural-flavor narrative.
• Langnese: Germany's leading mass-market ice cream brand (Unilever), ubiquitous in German retail and food service. Comparable as the default German ice cream benchmark; I Am Love competes against its scale and price expectations while positioning for a premium-ingredient counter-narrative.
• Häagen-Dazs: Global premium ice cream brand owned by Nestlé, operating scoop shops and retail distribution. Comparable as the established premium-ice-cream incumbent that I Am Love's artisanal positioning competes against on quality perception, though at vastly different scale and price point.

Emerging players

• LICK Ice Creams: Independent UK-based premium ice cream brand with rotating small-batch flavors and a sustainability-led brand story. Comparable to I Am Love on small-scale artisanal production, creative flavor launches, and brand-led premium positioning in a mature ice cream market.

Regional players

• Palazzo Gelato: German gelato retail chain operating scoop shops across multiple German cities. Comparable to I Am Love on direct scoop-shop retail competition within Germany, though operating at a more standardized flavor portfolio and larger chain scale than I Am Love's artisanal café concept.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/iamlove.de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/108-freunde-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 I Am Love