How 1 Ice Cream Maker Is Creating More 'Sunset Ice Cream Cone Moments'

GLEN ELLYN, IL — Ice cream has been a big part of Sam Rose's life for as long as he can remember. Rose, who founded the Glen Ellyn-based RoseBud Ice Cream, told Patch, he recalls the "really happy memory of holding a cone of ice cream while watching the sunset."

RoseBud Ice Cream will launch on DoorDash and Gopuff Aug. 4. RoseBud Ice Cream also has the distinction of being one of four companies chosen for the Midwest Dairy Accelerator's first cohort, where Rose hopes to learn more techniques to keep perfecting his ice cream.

Rose told Patch he's had an entrepreneurial bent since childhood, when he sold "cool-looking" rocks, produced sketch comedy videos and crafted "mini business plans."

It's no surprise then, that when Rose was a senior at DePaul University, he took a friend of his entirely seriously when the friend "jokingly suggested" Rose start an ice cream brand.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, and consistently "dissatisfied" with the ice cream available in the U.S., Rose made it his mission to make "the best ice cream in the country."

Equipped with an at-home ice cream maker he picked up at a local department store, Rose spent an afternoon in his mother's kitchen in Western Springs trying to get the recipe just right.

He told Patch he quickly came to the realization that "making ice cream was nowhere near as easy as eating it."

"My first time making ice cream was in my mom’s kitchen and it turned out… pretty bad," Rose said. "It showed that there was a lot to learn and really sparked a fire in me to try and get better at this incredibly difficult task."

He began making ice cream every week to master the technique, flavor and texture.

Soon after graduating from DePaul, Rose said, he took a job at a "fancy ice cream shop in Denver," to "learn some more tricks of the trade and get the hang of working with professional grade equipment rather than my cheap at-home kit."

In 2019, RoseBud Ice Cream got its official start. Now, you can find the company's pints and soft-serve pouches in stores throughout Illinois, Ohio, California, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Alabama and Louisiana.

Rose said he's eager to take his ice cream-making to the next level as part of the Midwest Dairy Accelerator cohort.

There, participants are spending eight weeks with experts from the dairy industry, taking part in workshops, collaborative sessions and personal mentoring sessions. On Sept. 3, participants will present a business pitch in the hopes of winning the top prize of $20,000. The first runner-up receives $10,000.

"I’m looking forward to gaining access to a great network of professionals in the dairy space who can help me navigate this stage of business’ growth," Rose said.

He added that he's "[a]lso hoping to gain the grand prize from a successful pitch day."

Perhaps Rose's dedication to crafting the country's best ice cream will pay off in a big way.

His everyday goal, as always, is to make people happy through RoseBud Ice Cream.

Reflecting on that vivid recollection of his ice cream cone at sunset, Rose said, "That blissful memory from a very simple time brings me joy to think about. My hope is that when people eat our ice cream they’re transported to whatever their sunset ice cream cone moment is too."