By Richard Kaufman
Sentinel Reporter
When the temperatures rise during those long summer days, some people head to the beach to beat the heat. Others flock to the pool, or bask in the comfort of air conditioning. But some folks indulge in ice cream.
Although ice cream is synonymous with summer, Justin Ragusa, director of marketing and distribution for Gofer Ice Cream, believes every day is a good day to enjoy a delicious frozen treat. “It’s always a good day to go for ice cream,” he said with a smile in Gofer’s flagship shop, located at 522 E. Putnam Ave.
Justin’s brother, Jay, started Gofer Ice Cream back in 2003 after coming up with a business plan while getting his MBA. After working on Wall Street for UBS in their oil and gas division, Ragusa decided to focus on the ice cream business full-time. Justin joined in a couple years later and put his effort into marketing, design work, and product procurement, as well as training employees.
Now entering their 15th season at the original Greenwich location, there are corporate shops in Stamford and Riverside. There will also be franchisee locations in Darien and Wilton opening later this summer.
“We’re 15 years in and we’re busier than we ever have been. Business is still on an incline which is great,” Justin Ragusa said.
Although Gofer has expanded, it remains true to being a small, family-owned business. Justin said that even his parents are involved in the business now that they’ve retired from their full-time jobs.
“We all kick in some effort. It’s a pretty unique experience. It’s a little different working with family members in a business environment. I think it’s made us closer as a family. We’ve got a lot of business talk at the table.”
Some of those talks involve ideas for new and exciting products customers can enjoy. In 2012, Justin came up with the idea for “Gofer Bites,” ping-pong ball sized premium ice cream bites hand-rolled and dipped in rich, velvety chocolate.
The bites come in a variety of flavors, such as chocolate chip, Oreo, coffee, strawberry and vanilla, but can be custom made into other flavors. Originally sold in 12 and 24-pack tubs, Justin came up with the idea for a more “on-the-go” approach this summer. Gofer Bites are now available in three-bite snack packs, which are conveniently sold in small boxes.
“That’s a big advancement for us,” said Justin. “Over the past year we developed out a new manufacturing process that’s going to allow us to really grow beyond the Gofer stores and into hopefully other convenience store, faster type environments.” The bites have become increasingly popular since their inception five years ago, and have especially taken off with the addition of the snack-packs.
The plan is to get Gofer Bites right next to Haagen-Dazs, Ben & Jerry’s and Klondike Bars in your local convenience store’s freezer.
Gofer can accommodate parties or celebrations with their various product creations. They offer the Ice Cream Party Box, a box customers can purchase that includes cups, napkins, spoons, ice cream and toppings of their choice for a self-hosted sundae party. “We can do larger parties, if you want to have a bites party,” Justin said.
Growing up, Justin said he never could have imagined working in the ice cream business. “As the years went on, it really is a nice place to work. Everyone’s very friendly in Greenwich,” he said.
Gofer has built a strong following in Greenwich over the years, something Justin says has been fun to watch grow. “We’ve been here so long we’ve raised a whole generation now. We’ve seen little kids come in [in years past] and now they’re working for us.”
One big facet of the ice cream business—a key to keeping people coming back—is product innovation, which Justin said is supposed to be fun and light-hearted. Being able to have the freedom to create things like the Ice Cream Party Box, Gofer Bites, or new gourmet-flavored sorbet slushes for this summer, is rewarding.
“That’s what keeps me getting up in the morning. It’s the gratification to be able to create. The instant feedback is great,” he said. “We’re not changing the world, but we’re doing our part to make things a little bit sweeter.”