EP16: JENI BRITTON

This week I’m speaking with Jeni Britton. Having grown up with a healthy dose of Roald Dahl and encouragement, Jeni learned to connect with her feelings early on, and has dedicated more than half her life to the sensorial art of making ice cream, as the founder and Chief Creative Officer of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Jeni made the choice to become an ice cream maker at a young age, but it was during her time at The Ohio State University where the adventure truly began. Shortly after walking out of an art class her sophomore year, Jeni set up shop at Columbus’s North Market, where she would source the ingredients needed to make her signature creations, gaining an education in both flavor and business. While financially unsuccessful, her first foray into entreprenurialship provided her with experience and perspective, which set the foundation for the success which would follow, including a James Beard Award, a spot on The New York Times Best Sellers list, and more than 60 scoop shops across the United States. In the same year she was named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People In Business, the bottom dropped out, leaving Jeni faced with a crisis she thought would be the end of her company. Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien and supported by the community she had nurtured since her days at the North Market, Jeni would weather the storm, and emerge having experienced a sense of love she says changed her view on ‘everything in the world’. During the course of our conversation, we discuss the fellowship model, B Corps, and how she encourages eating ice cream in winter. It is with a deep sense of hometown pride that I present Jeni Britton on The Days Between..