Our Story

One of the top questions we often get asked is how did Calli get started? What does “Calli” mean?
Our story begins in 2019. We noticed how hectic and busy lifestyles drove our partners and peers to seek comfort in snacking or guilty indulgences such as ice cream. Unfortunately, there were two choices: call it a cheat day, or sacrifice on taste and pleasure. Grinding through life ourselves, we knew how much pleasure a simple pint of ice cream can serve at the end of a long work or as an accompaniment to Netflix. “Healthier” choices in the market often were not (if you read the labels).
With a rebellious streak, we believed that we could offer something better. Many experts told us that what we wanted to achieve was not possible. Call it naviety or a blessing, but our non-traditional food backgrounds freed us from that thinking. We got started the best way we knew how, with the sacred technique of trial and error. Countless batches and blind taste tests later and we knew we were on to something when the majority of our panel preferred our ice creams to full-fat premium alternatives on the market clocking in at triple the calories and sugar content.
We’ve got a winning formula, now we need a name.
Calli started as a play on the word calories and recalled the sunny vibes of California beaches. Looking deeper, “Calli” is a combining form, meaning that it is a word that only has a particular meaning (beautiful) when combined with other words. Like how good honest ingredients when combined skillfully leads to amazing ice cream much greater than the sum of its parts.
Most importantly, Calli was a short, simple and personal name we all could relate to.
Say hello to Calli.
–
Nathaniel & Dzarrin
Founders Calli Ice Cream