You do not have to be an economist to know that there are a lot of ways for a business to compete in a crowded field—and downtown Ann Arbor is certainly a sharply competitive place when it comes to ice cream, even with the departure of Kilwin’s. The previous daytime pop up at Bløm did that in the caffeine space by focusing on producing a high quality product—what you might even call an artistic, avant garde flare for caffeine. But now that they have departed, Bløm’s new daytime pop up Cold Truth is taking its shot in Ann Arbors ice cream scene by catering to the vegan customer, who has to deal with the summer heat, but needs to do that while avoiding dairy products for ethical or medical reasons.
Cold Truth originally started out as a company making ice cream by the pint. It was only when they moved into their first brick and mortar location in Detroit that they made the switch making only vegan ice cream. They are currently based out of Midtown Detroit in addition to their residency at Bløm.
“It was kind of a tiny space so we had to make a decision to go with either vegan or dairy. And we were getting such amazing feedback from the vegan community, just in terms of our flavor and texture, so we went towards vegan,” owner Tim Mahoney said.
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After their initial success, they decided to look towards expansion. And since they had a huge amount of their customers hailing from Washtenaw County, establishing a place in Ann Arbor made sense. They got connected over social media and their seven month residency started on April 1.
Pallets full of coconut cream are imported from Southeast Asia. Once in Detroit, it is combined in an industrial kitchen with Michigan beet sugar. Fruit or coco powder is used for the rest, depending on what flavor they are making.
The chocolate ice cream is a popular option. The waffle cone is a chewy and crisp affair. The custard comes a bit more like chocolate custard or pudding than what you’d expect from traditional, dairy-made ice cream; but it still tastes great.
“Curious Coffee knew that their residency here was coming to an end, as they were starting to prepare their own space. When they let us know that they’d be opening their own shop and their anticipated timeline, we started putting out feelers for a new pop-up or residency who was interested in joining our space. Soon after, Cold Truth put out a post asking for recommendations of where they should set up outposts in Washtenaw and Oakland counties. Lots of shared customers connected us, and we struck up a conversation,” Lauren Bloom, the co-owner of Bløm, said. “It has been going great so far. There’s a lot of overlap in our businesses – a deep desire to serve up something fun using really good ingredients. It’s fun to watch folks come in for either Bløm or Cold Truth, and then discover the one while they’re here… I loved the banana pudding and the Yemeni coffee, and I can’t wait to try the lemon curd that they just launched.”
The current plan is to remain in Washtenaw County for the long run. A third location in Ferndale is also in the works. In the meantime, they are planning on staying within Bløm for at least the short term. Another standalone location within Washtenaw County is possible in the far future.
The residency that Cold Truth has started at Bløm has a seven month timeframe. Once the weather turns, things will change again according to Bløm.
Drew Saunders is a freelance business and environmental journalist who grew up just outside of Ann Arbor. He covers local business developments, embraces his foodie side with reviews restaurants, obsesses over Michigan's environmental state, loves movies, and feels spoiled by the music he gets to review for Ann Arbor!
