Salt & Straw Ice Cream: The Secret to Building a National Cult Following

Co-founder and head ice cream maker Tyler Malek has grown Salt & Straw from a single Portland pushcart in 2011 to a national phenomenon with over 50 locations. The brand is defined by its "story-driven" artisan flavors—ranging from Arbequina Olive Oil to Bone Marrow and Smoked Cherry to Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons—and its relentless commitment to community-driven hospitality. Malek discusses the company’s intense cycle of innovation, which involves launching a completely new menu every single month to keep the experience feeling like a "pop-up" for local neighbors. Even as the brand expands to massive markets like Manhattan, Malek maintains a boutique level of quality by centralizing all production in Portland and personally tasting every batch to ensure the brand’s signature flavors shine in every scoop. Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1 0:00 Starting with a Single Pushcart 1:09 Telling Stories Through Artisan Flavors 2:30 Ice Cream as a Community Gathering Place 4:45 From Culinary School Dropout to Master Maker 8:22 The Power of Family Partnership 10:16 Why Salt & Straw Changes Its Menu Every Month 16:05 The 10-Year Journey to Perfect the Ice Cream Taco 20:45 Expanding to Manhattan: Cold-Calling NYC Icons 23:04 The Logistics of Nationwide Quality Control 27:43 The Science of Salt Selection 30:43 The "Provocative" Story of Pear & Blue Cheese Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more: https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes: http://forbes.com Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.