Sacred Serve, a Chicago-based non-dairy gelato brand, is an independent company singlehandedly changing the definition of healthy and sustainable ice cream. Founded in 2017 by Kailey Donewald, Sacred Serve specializes in organic, superfood vegan gelato that comes in the world’s first zero-plastic, 100% biodegradable ice cream cartons. Its products can be found at a growing number of US retailers, including Whole Foods Market, and can also be shipped online.
Handcrafted, healing ingredients
On a mission to bring “function intro frozen indulgence”, Sacred Serve crafts its gelato from young Thai coconut meat – a high-fiber ingredient that provides a rich and creamy texture without the need for gums or stabilizers. Thai coconuts are also an excellent source of electrolytes, MCT’s and other potent minerals and nutrients. Adding to the gelato’s health power, Sacred Serve fills its desserts with adaptogenic herbs and medicinal foods like Chaga mushrooms, Peruvian maca, Dominican cacao and activated charcoal.
The company says it maintains the ingredients’ micronutrient content using a cold-crafting process, which also increases bioavailability. Its current line of flavors includes Tigernut Cookies N Creme, Chaga Chocolate, Matcha Mint Chip, and Coconut Salted Caramel.
First fully recyclable + compostable pints
In 2021, Sacred Serve became the world’s first plant-based ice cream brand to introduce 100% plastic-free and biodegradable cartons. While most standard ice cream pints are made from paper, the pints’ inner plastic lining renders them unsuitable for recycling.
Blending the design of a takeout box with a conventional ice cream pint, Sacred Serve’s packaging is made from virgin fiber, food-grade paperboard, and a water-based barrier coating that can be fully recycled in any waste stream. To further minimize waste, the brand says it forgoes the use of lids.
As Sacred Serve states on its website: “Our ingredients and recipe combinations are designed to promote healing within the body and prompt curiosity for using food as medicine…We’re on a mission to bring function into frozen indulgence and prove that all food can, and should, be more healing than harmful.”