Ample Hills
Ice cream company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ample Hills is an American ice cream company. Founded by Brian Smith and Jackie Cuscuna as a pushcart in 2010, the company became known for its "playful" flavors. Their first storefront, in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, opened in 2011, selling out 130 gallons of ice cream in just 4 days.[1] It soon expanded into a chain prominent in New York City, with additional locations at one point in Disney World and Los Angeles.[2]
_097_-_Bathhouse_Beach_Pavilion.jpg)
An Ample Hills store at Jacob Riis Park in New York. | |
| Industry | Ice cream |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founders | Brian Smith and Jackie Cuscuna |
| Key people | Lisa Teach (CEO) |
| Website | www |
The company laid off all of its employees and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 15, 2020 due to delays in factory construction, operating losses, and other self-described business mistakes.[3][4][5] Schmitt Industries acquired Ample Hills from bankruptcy for $1 million in June 2020, with the founders exiting a month later.[6][5] Due to failure to pay rent and expenses, Schmitt Industries closed all Ample Hills locations on December 19, 2022.[7]
The founders (Smith and Cuscuna) signed a lease to open a new ice cream company and shop, the Social, in March 2021, backed by investors including Norm Brodsky.[8] Backed by these investors, they bought Ample Hills back for $150,000 in June 2023 and brought in CEO and investor Lisa Teach. However, by late 2023, the pair were fired from the company, after clashes with Teach.[9][10][11]
The Ample Hills story has been used for several Harvard Business School case studies by Thomas Eisenmann.[11]
