OddFellows Ice Cream Co. the quirky and nostalgic Brooklyn-based ice cream brand helmed by James Beard-nominated chef Sam Mason and co-founder Mohan Kumar, is looking for investors as they prepare to expand. The raise will enable their newly-built, soon-to-open 5,500 square-foot OddFactory in Bushwick to serve as an experiential venue, creative thinktank, and production grounds for national pint shipping, expanded vegan flavor line, and retail, restaurant, and e-commerce growth. The company was selected by SeedInvest, a preeminent equity crowdfunding platform that has historically only accepted approximately 1 percent of those companies to feature on the platform. OddFellows will be one of just a handful of culinary brands to run a campaign on SeedInvest’s platform. See it here: [seedinvest.com/oddfellows]
“With more than $5 million in revenue since inception from just 4 local scoop shops and a proven commitment to high-quality ingredients, perfected technique, and relentless innovation, Oddfellows isn’t your average ice cream brand,” says investor Matthew Viragh, owner of Nitehawk Cinema. “Their unique ability to both evoke nostalgia and inspire adventure translates to endless growth potential and healthy investment.”
In keeping with their humorous and nostalgic positioning, in tandem with the campaign OddFellows has launched a cheeky hotline of 1-866-4ICE-CREAM, where fans and potential investors are met with a sultry voice that lures listeners to their SeedInvest page. The number can be found on receipts, stickers, and on in-store and online graphics throughout the fundraising period (February 15-March 29). OddFellows’ unique and playful brand is met with an equally strong and steady track record: Since opening in 2012, they have developed 400-plus flavors (from the universally revered Peanut Butter & Jelly and Vanilla Bean to unparalleled oddities that incorporate cheese, liquor, and even meat), and earned 45k-plus Instagram followers, 30-plus restaurant partners, 40-plus grocery partners, and 20-plus brand partnerships, from Bailey’s to Calvin Klein.
“SeedInvest allows us to reach a large and informed group of people that can act not only as investors but brand ambassadors along the way,” says the co-founder of OddFellows Ice Cream Co, Mohan Kumar. “This platform also allows Sam and I to protect our vision to making OddFellows the most inventive and delicious ice cream in the country, which we’re just not willing to compromise.”
With the SeedInvest campaign, OddFellows enables investors to not only own a piece of the company but interact with the brand in various ways; Investors can enjoy a range of perks dependent on their level, from a lifetime supply of ice cream to a one-on-one ice cream making session Mason at their new OddFactory. The OddFactory, which is poised to open this spring in Bushwick, will increase ice cream production by more than 10x., a metric that the company has existing demand for. The space and resources will also allow for more collaboration and creativity to grow their collection of dairy and vegan ice cream, soft serve, sorbets, milkshakes, sodas, and ice cream sandwiches in addition to their composed collaborations and in-store offerings that marry coffee, beer, wine, and liquor with ice cream.
