Cosmic Ice Cream

What Cosmic Ice Cream does

Cosmic Ice Cream Co. is a privately held, Houston-metro premium ice cream retailer founded in February 2021 by Camille and Julian Haynes. The company operates four company-owned scoop shops in Webster/Clear Lake (opened Feb 2021), Spring Branch (2023), Pearland (2024), and Bellaire (2024), and serves local consumers with handcrafted, in-house produced ice cream alongside event catering, school Spirit Nights, and digital gift cards. There are no disclosed institutional investors; ownership and capital have remained with the Haynes family since founding.

The core product is a rotating lineup of "Always" (year-round) and seasonal ice cream flavors — including Chocolate Milk & Cookies, Banana Pudding, Campfire S'mores, Vanilla Bean, Salted Caramel, Toasted Coconut (non-dairy), and Mango Sorbet (non-dairy) — served in formats ranging from mini/1/2 scoops, flights, and ice cream nachos to milkshakes, cold brew shakes/floats, and take-home pints. All ice cream is made in-house using recipes the founders describe as inspired by their travels, family recipes, childhood memories, and customer suggestions, with Camille Haynes' dietitian background (BS Human Nutrition and Foods, MS Nutrition) underpinning a "dietitian-formulated" positioning. The technology footprint is intentionally light and SaaS-dependent: a Squarespace website, DoorDash for pickup/delivery, Square for payments and gift cards, and TripleSeat for catering event bookings.

The business model combines in-store retail sales (cones, cups, flights, nachos, shakes, pints), DoorDash marketplace transactions, an on-site catering cart service priced at a $550 base for up to 60 guests (with add-ons at $7.50 per serving), gift card sales (physical and e-gift via Square), and a Spirit Nights community program for schools within 5 miles of any shop. GTM is direct-to-consumer across retail, digital, and event channels, with no wholesale, franchising, or licensing disclosed. The company is privately held, founder-financed, has 11-50 employees, and shows no AI/ML capabilities, patents, certifications, regulatory actions, or M&A activity.

Name

Cosmic Ice Cream

Legal name

Cosmic Ice Cream Co.

Website

https://cosmichtx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cosmic Ice Cream is a Houston-metro premium ice cream retailer operating four company-owned scoop shops (Webster, Spring Branch, Pearland, Bellaire). Founded in 2021, it serves local consumers with in-house made ice cream, on-site event catering, and school Spirit Nights.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Ice Cream

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Cream & Gelato Shops (THAFAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Premium ice cream
• Scoop shop retail
• Ice cream catering
• Handcrafted frozen desserts
• Specialty dessert shop

Headquarters

HQ city

Webster

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Ice Cream Sales: In-store scoop shop sales of premium ice cream, including cones, cups, mini scoops, flights, ice cream nachos, milkshakes, and pints to go
2. Delivery Orders: Pickup and delivery orders via DoorDash platform
3. Catering Services: On-site cart service for events starting at $550 for up to 60 guests, with additional servings and hours billed separately
4. Gift Cards: Physical and electronic gift cards sold in-store and online via Square

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cosmic Ice Cream operates premium scoop shop locations in the Houston metro area, selling handcrafted ice cream made in-house with creative year-round and seasonal flavors served in cones, cups, flights, nachos, milkshakes, cold brew drinks, and pints. The company also provides on-site cart catering for events starting at $550, hosts Spirit Nights for local schools, and sells physical and electronic gift cards.

Product overview

Cosmic Ice Cream Co. is a premium ice cream shop with a single-location retail model operating four scoop shops in the Houston metro area (Webster, Spring Branch, Pearland, and Bellaire). The company operates as a unified product offering centered around in-house made premium ice cream available in two categories: Always Flavors (year-round staples including Chocolate Milk & Cookies, Banana Pudding, Campfire S'mores, Vanilla Bean, Salted Caramel, and 9 others) and Seasonal Flavors (rotating limited-time offerings). Ice cream is sold through retail scoop shops via various serving formats including scoops (mini, 1, 2), Ice Cream Flights, Ice Cream Nachos, Milkshakes, Cold Brew Shakes, Cold Brew Floats, and Pints To Go. The product portfolio extends to catering services (On-Site Cart Service for events) and Spirit Nights for schools, with gift cards as a supplementary offering. All ice creams are made in-house with flavor creations inspired by owner travels, family recipes, and customer ideas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Always Flavors Ice Cream
• Seasonal Flavors Ice Cream
• Ice Cream Flight
• Ice Cream Nachos
• Milkshakes and Cold Brew Drinks
• Pints To Go
• On-Site Cart Catering Service
• Gift Cards

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• DoorDashcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDoorDash is the primary delivery and pickup ordering platform for Cosmic Ice Cream. Customers can order online for pickup or delivery through the DoorDash marketplace.
• Square (SquareUp)supportingTechnology or IntegrationSquare provides the payment processing and gift card platform for Cosmic Ice Cream's e-gift card program. Customers purchase e-gift cards through Square's platform.
• TripleSeatsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTripleSeat provides the event booking and reservation platform for Cosmic Ice Cream's catering services, enabling customers to book events online.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Cold Stone Creamery: Cold Stone is a national franchise ice cream chain with broad mall and shopping-center presence. While not premium-positioned like Cosmic, it competes for the same impulse and event treat occasions at scale.
• Häagen-Dazs Shops: Häagen-Dazs operates branded scoop shops inside malls and hotels globally. It represents the established premium incumbent in the same retail ice cream category where Cosmic competes.
• Blue Bell Creameries: Blue Bell is a Texas-based ice cream manufacturer with deep Texas brand affinity and grocery distribution. Its regional brand strength and Texas origin make it a comparable incumbent competing for the same Texas consumer.
• Sub Zero Ice Cream: Sub Zero is a custom ice cream franchise using liquid-nitrogen preparation in-store. It competes in the experiential, made-to-order segment of the scoop shop category where Cosmic also operates.

Direct peers

• Fat Cat Creamery: Fat Cat Creamery is a Houston-based premium scoop shop with a flavor-forward, locally-rooted concept. It is a direct neighborhood competitor serving a similar customer base within the Houston metro.
• Amy's Ice Creams: Amy's is a Texas-based premium scoop shop chain headquartered in Austin with multiple Houston-area locations. It is a direct regional competitor pursuing the same premium scoop shop customer in the same Texas market.
• Salt & Straw: Salt & Straw runs a multi-city premium scoop shop business built on small-batch, narrative-driven flavors. Its retail concept, hospitality focus, and catering/event services are directly comparable to Cosmic's shop and cart offerings.
• Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Jeni's operates a national chain of premium scoop shops with inventive, story-driven flavors and direct-to-consumer pint shipping. It is the closest analog to Cosmic's in-house production, premium positioning, and unique flavor library model.
• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: Van Leeuwen is a premium scoop shop and pint brand with national retail distribution and a strong flavor-rotation playbook. Its shop-plus-wholesale model is a comparable premium positioning play to Cosmic.
• Marble Slab Creamery: Marble Slab is a Houston-headquartered franchise ice cream concept with a long-standing Houston presence and made-to-order preparation. It competes for the same walk-in, family, and event customer in Cosmic's core market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cosmic.tx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cosmicicecream

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 Cosmic Ice Cream