Calling all ice cream lovers! A new line of dairy-free gelato from a Richmond-based company hit shelves in June 2018 at local, independent grocers like Ellwood Thompson’s, Libbie Market, Good Food Grocery and Little House Green Grocery. With only about a little more than a month under its belt, the company is rapidly expanding into new markets, including Boston, DC and Charlottesville.
So, what’s all the hype about O’MY? O’MY says they made their gelato to be a treat for everyone to enjoy.
O’MY CEO and co-founder Allison Monette and her family love sharing a sweet treat together and, more often than not, it’s a frozen one. But what about the people who can’t enjoy traditional ice cream?
Whether it’s due to intolerances, allergies or dietary preferences, millions of people are living dairy-free or reducing dairy. When trying dairy-free frozen desserts Allison thought to herself, “If a product was celebrated as delicious, it likely left out the allergen community. If it was allergen free, then it was often lacking in taste. “I thought that there had to be way to make something that would bring all people together – no matter their dietary needs – and still taste delicious and indulgent.”
Allison began sharing her vision with everyone from fellow ice cream lovers and mindful-eating friends to allergy-impacted families. She pulled from her career spent working for big brand food corporations, including General Mills and Pepsi Co., where she mostly enjoyed her time working to bring new and brands to market.
After a few months spent with her vision Allison was introduced to Julie Bishop, who would soon become O’MY’s COO and co-founder.
Julie is a food scientist and, like Allison, a mom who sees other parents struggle to bring food into their homes that’s a treat for everyone. The two saw eye to eye immediately on the need for a treat for all to enjoy and shared in their uncompromising commitment to create a creamy, indulgent and transparent treat.
When asked about transparency O’MY referenced their ingredient list, specifically how short that list is compared to the competition. “We wanted an honest-to-goodness treat made with all-natural, easy-to-pronounce and from-the-earth ingredients,” said Julie, who developed all six recipes in the O’MY Dairy Free Gelato line.
But why gelato? Allison and Julie say, “because gelato is even better than ice cream!”
O’MY’s recipes were intentionally crafted to be free from the major allergens, like wheat/gluten, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and soy. The gelato is made with organic coconut cream to replace the dairy and sweetened with cane sugar that is vegan and non-GMO. The six flavors include: chocolate, vanilla bean, mint chip, coffee chip, root beer float and orange cream.
The team didn’t share more about plans to expand the O’MY line beyond gelato but we think we’ll be hearing more from Allison and Julie soon. And while we don’t want to scoop their news, we heard that more flavors will be hitting shelves soon!