Vegan ice cream is a tricky topic. How do you take something with the key ingredient being an animal byproduct and turn it into a smooth and creamy delicacy? On this episode of the Sprouts and Spill podcast, we sat down with Reinaldo Sánchez, one of the owners of the Puerto Rican and New Haven, CT dessert shop Vía Láctea and learned how he and his co-owner Lorivie Alicea turned this business from a regular dairy-based ice cream shop to an out-of-this world plant based shop!
Dairy to Plant-Based
Reinaldo Sánchez is lactose intolerant so the Vía Láctea shop started by serving both types of ice creams. Then their business margins revealed that their plant based options were selling MORE than the dairy options! They even noticed that creating more plant-based ice creams produced less company waste, because it avoided the problem of dairy's fast expiration date. From these findings Reinaldo and Lori decided to go fully plant based in 2021. At the time Vía Láctea's only location was based in Puerto Rico which made them the first fully vegan ice cream parlor in that country! Even though they received backlash from the change, they also gained so much support from the plant based community.
It's all in the name
"Vía Láctea" is Spanish for "Milky Way"
"But wait, you're ice cream doesn't have milk?" is what some customers say! But this shop name refers to our galaxy not milk. The name was inspired by the fact that only our galaxy has dairy, that we know of. 😉 Reinaldo says this galaxy branding can be found in their product names as well as their slogan "Flavors that are out of this world!" This theme also represents their dedication to innovation and creation within the dessert sphere.
How to make plant-based ice cream creamy
Reinaldo tells us that dairy is fats and liquids (like water) suspended together homogeneously. So the team realized that if they create a similar chemical reaction with plant based materials then the creamy texture would follow. They leaned towards coconut milk because of it's ease to access in Puerto Rico but they also discovered that out of all the plant based milks, coconut is the only one that supplies enough fat to mimic the emulsifiers in dairy. Plus they discovered that using coconut milk welcomes customers who maybe allergic to nut products.
Puerto Rico vs. New Haven
Vía Láctea opened up their second location in New Haven, CT in 2024 because Reinaldo moved to the states. There have been some unforeseen challenges with this second location opening. For one thing, Reinaldo had to adjust to seasons! In Puerto Rico ice cream is always desirable because it's always hot! However, suddenly the New Haven location of Vía Láctea had to adjust its business for the cold weather. Chilly weather offerings include hot chocolate, pies, and seasonal produce ice cream flavors including peach made with fresh peaches.
Zero-Waste Packaging
Vía Láctea is a completely zero-waste product for consumers. All of their disposables are compostables. No plastics, only glass or can drink holders. In Puerto Rico their entire facility is solar powered, which was inspired by them being conscious of the island's electrical problems. The team at Vía Láctea saves both animals and the planet!
Running a business with friends? Yay or nah?
Reinaldo's partner Chef Lorivie Alicea was the pastry chef at one of the best restaurants in Puerto Rico! She also went to school for industrial design. With her knowledge of product creation and pastry expertise she came up with the idea to create a company that made frozen desserts. She reached out to Reinaldo, her BFF since age 14, for his acumen in the business knowledge. For them it's perfect, he manages the New Haven region and she handles the Puerto Rico location, they both work together to think of recipe ideas. Reinaldo would say working with your bestie is the best!
Two besties with a sweet dream!
Read more about Reinaldo and Lori's story
Everything is sweet at Vía Láctea
From their mission to creation and innovation, to their environmentally conscious efforts, and their strong branding and purpose. Vía Láctea is a great example of how good recipes, excellent flavors, and listening to your customers can lead to success! We loved speaking with Reinaldo about how two besties took a sweet dream and made it into a booming business worldwide. The company even was a James Beard Award semi finalist in 2024, an honor which is selected by the comity for culinary excellence! I'm crossing my fingers that they will win next year!🤞
Follow their pages below!
https://www.instagram.com/vialacteact/
https://www.instagram.com/vialacteapr/
https://www.facebook.com/p/Via-Lactea-CT
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