San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
San Diego company creates vegan frozen treats
San Diego-based Kula Desserts is making vegan, gluten-free ice cream a delicious indulgence for everyone, one scoop at a time.
The products are gaining fans throughout the region and routinely get great reviews from customers who can’t believe the ice cream is vegan, said Kula founder Libby Liewald Lefanowicz. They’re also a great option for people with common food allergies.
“We have a gluten-free dedicated facility…and people are happy to have a safe space for nut allergies and for people who (have celiac disease),” she said.
Lefanowicz said she was inspired to start a brand of vegan frozen treats after visiting the now-shuttered Sweet Ritual vegan ice cream shop in Texas. She founded Kula mid-pandemic, using the kitchen at Maya’s Cookies, a vegan cookie shop, to develop her own ice cream recipes with her sister, Molly.
Since Kula launched online in 2020, Lefanowicz has expanded her flavors from six to more than 100. She’s expanded her horizons, too.
In 2021, she opened Kula Ice Cream shop at 9883 Pacific Heights Blvd. in Sorrento Valley. Kula treats are also carried in more than 25 locations in southern California, including Maya Moon Collective and The Manchester Grand Hyatt.
Kula Desserts kulaicecream.com
Kula recently released a new ice cream sandwich in three flavors (Chocolate Chip, Mint Chip and Cake, and Strawberry Short Cookie) that uses vegan ice cream and soft-baked, gluten-free brownies or cookies. Each sandwich is free of milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans.
With a big distribution expansion planned for summer, Lefanowicz says she’s excited to keep providing vegan ice cream “that actually tastes good” to the rest of California.
Follow @kulaicecream on Instagram.