Lotus Scoop
Adriane Stewart, owner of Lotus Scoop ice cream, grew up making the frozen dessert as a beloved family tradition, but she never considered parlaying her hobby into a career.
Instead, the high-achieving New Jersey native and longtime Brooklynite — who holds an economics degree from Harvard University with a focus on game theory, as well as a law degree *and* an MBA from Columbia — pursued a number of other ventures. She founded her own bridal dress manufacturing business, served as VP at a digital clothing design firm and joined the founding of a mobile money startup. After 15 years in tech, Adriane was itching for another gig but struggled to find an in-house role.
“For the most part I found that companies weren't interested in hiring entrepreneurs,” she says. “And particularly not Black women over 40.”
When her boyfriend, now husband, joked that in the meanwhile she could make him some ice cream, Adriane threw herself into mixing batches from her apartment. “It wasn't like I was a chef,” she says.
“It was just something that my family loved, and I had so much experience making it.” As she perfected her flavors and tested them on friends, a new company was born: Lotus Scoop. Eight years later, you can find Adriane’s ice cream in at least 100 grocery stores throughout the metro area. She makes each pint from a Williamsburg factory, packed with premium ingredients in indulgent flavors from across the African Diaspora, such as Sunday Vibes (cornbread and maple syrup in buttermilk), Choco-Chilla (chocolate caramel rum cake), Plátanos Maduros (sweet plantain and vanilla) and Wepa (guanabana soursop).
“I want to speak to Black people as a whole, so I try to make sure the flavors are diasporic.”
Using fresh cream and cane sugar as a base, Adriane infuses tropical fruits and homemade desserts for Lotus Scoop’s innovative flavors. The brand focus and identity, however, has evolved from its 2013 beginnings. A prime example? Her first flavor, The Puddle Jumper, whipped up with kale, pear and banana became a hit at Whole Foods stores around New York. But with pints priced at $9.99 at retailers that generally catered to white customers, something didn’t feel right.
“I couldn't touch my community with that price point or even with that flavor,” Adriane admits.
She started working with a Black-owned food distribution company and built partnerships with grocery stores in Black and brown neighborhoods to get her product to the people. At the more affordable price of $4.99 a pint, you can cop Lotus Scoop at Key Food, Foodtown, ShopRite, CTown, Bravo, Gala and other supermarkets around the city. (Also check them out at Food Garden Market at 608 Franklin Ave., home to the bountiful display seen here.) Adriane also switched up her flavors, which now include delights like rum raisin, Coca-Cola double fudge cake and maracuyá (passion fruit) with caramel swirl.
“I want to speak to Black people as a whole, so I try to make sure the flavors are diasporic,” she says. “It is our mission to offer a joyous, well-packaged pint of Caribbean, Latin, and Southern flavors to folks from the communities where our recipes originated.”
Courtesy of Lotus Scoop
Courtesy of Lotus Scoop
Courtesy of Lotus Scoop
Courtesy of Lotus Scoop
Courtesy of Lotus Scoop
Courtesy of Lotus Scoop
Constantly creating, Adriane churns up new Lotus Scoop flavors every two weeks, with a rotating catalog of more than 30. For inspiration, she builds off popular hits. For example, one of her newest flavors, Making Moves, takes her guava and honey ice cream and adds creamy cheesecake with crumbly bits of shortbread crust. Sometimes a visit to the marketplace is enough to inspire a new creation, as Adriane hand-picks produce for her scoops. Among the rotating flavors, however, Lotus Scoop maintains a core list of 10 fan favorites like the Yam-A-Rama made with caramelized sweet potatoes and salted banana caramel, as well as Peaches & Herb, a peach ice cream imbued with ginger and Kentucky bourbon.
Although Lotus Scoop received pushback from a handful of potential investors who suggested a “Blacker” name for the company (one even recommended adding graffiti art to her pints), for Adriane, the lotus flower spoke to the resilience of Black people.
“The lotus flower is the universal symbol of growth out of the dirt,” she says.
“I named the company Lotus Scoop because I wanted to touch the journey of Black people, about the beauty in the work and the struggle.”
Lotus Scoop distributes to New York (including almost every neighborhood in Brooklyn), New Jersey and Philadelphia, and after Memorial Day the brand begins door-to-door delivery in select areas of Brooklyn and Queens. In the meantime, hit up Lotus Scoop on IG or LotusScoop.com to find ice cream in your area. —Morgan Carter
