We were lucky to catch up with Erin Bottcher recently and have shared our conversation below.

Erin, appreciate you joining us today. Can you share a story with us from back when you were an intern or apprentice? Maybe it’s a story that illustrates an important lesson you learned or maybe it’s a just a story that makes you laugh (or cry)? Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style.

I started at Bev’s in 2019 when I was in college, and the following year in March the Covid-19 pandemic began. I used the unprecedented time to try and boost up my resume for 2021 graduation by finding internships and experience related to the public relations field, which was my major. Bev, the founder of Bev’s Ice Cream, and I grew close during the pandemic as most days it was just us in the store due to not allowing customers inside. I asked her one day how she wanted to proceed with the pandemic and serving customers, so she allowed me to create an online ordering system and her very first website. Being 81 at the time, Bev wasn’t tech-savvy so I used the pandemic as an opportunity to create an experience and curate a social media and online presence for her. Through the stress of Covid, we found humor in daily social media posts and fun facts to share online with some behind-the-scenes for our customers. We grew so close through this that Bev offered to sell her business of 30 years to me. One of the biggest lessons I learned during this time was to “just ask” about opportunities and create a space for yourself to grow creatively and in your own ways.

Erin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Erin Bottcher, I am a 24-year-old small business owner in Richmond, VA, and I make ice cream for a living! I think the best part of my job is making people happy. Generally speaking, you’re going to be happy after getting a sweet treat, and I love that I can be a part of that for my customers. We make all of our ice cream, pastries, and sweets in-store, and use original recipes. It feels incredibly special to have a tangible, physical product and see how all ages come together to experience dessert together. My store has been in Richmond for 26 years (longer than I’ve been alive!), and is very well-known in Richmond. I am incredibly lucky to have purchased an exisiting business with a long-standing clientele. Every year Richmond grows, and so does my business! Last year, I purchased two ice cream carts and doing events for weddings, businesses, and birthdays has been so rewarding and wholesome to be a part of people’s special days.

Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?

I purchased my ice cream shop from the founder, Bev, who is also the store’s namesake. She built her own business from the ground-up and started in New England (MA and CT), then moved to Virginia and was successful every step of the way. She found ways to keep customers from all over the country, and made a true name for her business. Filling her shoes has been incredibly fulfilling and humbling to follow such a fantastic businesswoman. I purchased my business at 22 years old, 9 months after graduating college in 2021. This was such a roller coaster to start an LLC, purchase an existing business, and transfer all utilities and services into my name, which was a different process than starting everything from scratch. I was in a very privileged situation to have family who supported me in this journey, and it truly takes a village to maintain a business.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

At my store, we pride ourselves in making all of the products in-store and on-site. I know for some ice cream shops it can be easier to source ice cream from Hershey’s/Blue Bunny/other large corporations instead of investing in ice cream equipment (specifically the ice cream machine), which can be very pricey. Depending on the background of the entrepreneur, this can be more financially feasible and make sense. Since my business’ full name is Bev’s Homemade Ice Cream & Cafe, I like to boast that our products are truly homemade. Additionally, telling customers you make your product and it was a direct product of your recipes, labor, and love is so fulfilling. Hearing a compliment saying it’s the best ice cream someone ever had can’t be beat!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bevshomemadeicecream.com/
• Instagram: @bevshomemade
• Facebook: @bevshomemade

Image Credits

All photos by Erin Bottcher for Bev’s Homemade Ice Cream & Cafe