logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2023
1h 14m

Halo Top Ice Cream: Justin Woolverton

Guy Raz | Wondery
About this episode

In one of the most remarkable feats ever performed by a frozen dessert, Halo Top ice cream became the best-selling pint in America just six years after launch. Its founder Justin Woolverton was a frustrated lawyer who developed the recipe in his Cuisinart, mixing Stevia, egg whites and fruit into a low-calorie treat that tasted good enough to sell. Many recipes later—some runny, some rock-hard—Justin got the ice cream into stores; and soon, social media was flooded with images of people polishing off the 300-calorie pints. After outselling Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s in 2017, Halo Top’s charisma faded, and a slew of new competitors entered the field. In 2019, Justin sold the company for an undisclosed amount, and now enjoys his ice cream at a less frenetic pace. 


This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson, with music by Ramtin Arablouei

Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Alex Cheng.


You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Today
Advice Line with Norma Kamali of Norma Kamali (2024)
Iconic fashion designer Norma Kamali joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early stage founders. Plus, Norma shares her take on balancing a strong creative vision with the financial realities of building a worldwide brand. First we meet Ahmed in the ... Show More
50m 34s
Jul 7
Rick Steves' Europe: Rick Steves (2021)
Rick Steves spent the summer after high school backpacking through Europe on two dollars a day—sleeping on the floor, sneaking into museums, and subsisting on a diet of bread and jam. When he came home, he found people were hungry for tips on how to visit Europe on the cheap, so ... Show More
1h 17m
Jul 3
Advice Line with Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company (August 2024)
Boston Beer Company founder Jim Koch joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three founders about finding product-market fit.Today, we meet Kim, whose tropical-inspired apparel company in Florida is venturing into the rum market. Then Llance from Washington ... Show More
51m 11s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2022
Häagen-Dazs vs Ben & Jerry's | The New Tastemakers | 7
Haagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s revolutionized the ice cream industry by raising the standard for the frozen treat and pioneering new styles and flavors. Now, new ice cream mavericks are on the scene, raising both the caliber and cost of pints. Be prepared to get hungry as food jou ... Show More
37m 14s
May 2022
Encore: Häagen-Dazs vs Ben & Jerry's | Big Chunks O'Love | 1
It's the '70s and best buddies Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are about to open an ice cream parlor. These hungry hippies only want to have fun making ice cream. But as their business grows, they're going to find themselves on a collision course with the heavyweight champ of gour ... Show More
26m 30s
Aug 2021
Häagen-Dazs vs Ben & Jerry's | Big Chunks O'Love | 1
It's the '70s and best buddies Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are about to open an ice cream parlor. These hungry hippies only want to have fun making ice cream. But as their business grows, they're going to find themselves on a collision course with the heavyweight champ of gour ... Show More
25m 22s
May 2022
Encore: Häagen-Dazs vs Ben & Jerry's | Ice Cream Castle | 2
It's 1958 and in New York City, Reuben Mattus is under fire. The big dairies are crushing his family's ice cream business and shutting him out of supermarkets. Desperate, he imagines a new, luxury ice cream with an eye-popping price tag. He calls it Häagen-Dazs and it's going to ... Show More
27m 36s
Jun 2022
Häagen-Dazs vs Ben & Jerry's | Hunger Games | 5
It's 1998 and Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry's are now tasty targets in the global ice cream war between Unilever and Nestlé. As these multi-billion-dollar consumer goods giants move in, the U.S. ice cream market enters a state of churn. Enemies turn to allies, friends become foes, ... Show More
27m 52s
May 2023
Ben & Jerry's vs Häagen-Dazs | La crème de la crème | 2
En 1958, à New York, Reuben Mattus est en guerre contre les grandes laiteries de la région, qui veulent pousser les supermarchés à boycotter son entreprise de crèmes glacées.Dépité, il imagine une nouvelle gamme de glaces, haut de gamme mais abordables, qu’il baptise d’un étrange ... Show More
27m 26s
Feb 2022
HAPPY ICE - You can't go wrong with Baked Beans and Hot Dogs
We all may know him from the VH1’s Black Ink Crew Compton, but Tattoo artist Lemeir Mitchell has bigger dreams and accomplishments. After growing up on the streets of Philadelphia, he traded violence for Happy Ice: for a successful dessert empire he runs with his wife Danielle in ... Show More
34m 37s
Feb 2023
The ice cream conspiracy
Take a look in any supermarket ice cream freezer section and you may see a mystery. There are big containers of the typical ice cream brands: Breyers, Turkey Hill, and Edy's. And there are specialty brands that make gelato, low-fat and vegan ice creams. And then there are the fan ... Show More
24m 12s
Jun 2022
Häagen-Dazs vs Ben & Jerry's | Breaking the Ice | 6
It's the year 2000 and Ben & Jerry's is under new ownership. But as promises that were made before the sale get broken, employees wonder if the brand's values can survive the new regime. Meanwhile, Häagen-Dazs finds itself wrestling with how to move with the times while staying t ... Show More
28m 9s
Dec 2022
Ben & Jerry's vs Häagen-Dazs | Fette Brocken Liebe | 1
Es sind die 70er Jahre, und die besten Freunde Ben Cohen und Jerry Greenfield eröffnen eine Eisdiele. Die hungrigen Hippies wollen nur Spaß haben und Eiscreme herstellen. Doch als ihr Geschäft wächst, geraten sie auf Kollisionskurs mit dem schwergewichtigen Champion der Gourmet-E ... Show More
29m 46s