Dec 13, 2021

Photo: Coolhaus LOS ANGELES — The Urgent Co., the consumer brands subsidiary of food technology company Perfect Day, is acquiring specialty ice cream brand Coolhaus from Sunrise Strategic Partners. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2009, Coolhaus offers a portfolio of frozen dessert pints and novelties sold in more than 6,000 stores nationwide, including Whole Foods Market, Walmart, Sprouts and Kroger. Flavors range from street cart churro dough to campfire s’mores to dirty mint chip. Several offerings were developed to support specific social missions. Proceeds from Currency Cake Carrot Cake Ice Cream, for example, are used to fund Black and Brown female business owners. Coolhaus and the Urgent Co. will transition its dairy products to use Perfect Day’s animal-free dairy in the months ahead. Produced by precision fermentation and without cows, Perfect Day whey protein generates up to 97% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than traditional dairy protein, according to the company. As part of the agreement, the Coolhaus team will join the Urgent Co. Coolhaus founder Natasha Case will become president of brand experience, and Ryan Bennett, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Coolhaus, will join the Urgent Co. as senior vice president of operations and integration. “We created Coolhaus to make better products for everybody,” Ms. Case said. “Our ability to lead with purpose and move the dial for consumers becomes even stronger by joining The Urgent Co. For us, this is about the long game. The integration of Perfect Day protein into our line of beloved dairy ice cream and novelties is going to elevate our product into the next generation of foods making a difference for our families and our planet.” The Urgent Co. debuted its first brand, Brave Robot, a line of animal-free dairy ice cream, in 2020. The products are now available in more than 5,000 grocery stores nationwide. Other brands in the Urgent Co. portfolio include Modern Kitchen animal-free cream cheese and California Performance Co. animal-free protein powder, both of which launched this year. “Bringing together our social and climate missions is deeply personal,” said Paul Kollesoff, general manager and co-founder of the Urgent Co. “We know the work we do now will determine if our children can continue to enjoy the food we eat and the planet we inhabit for years to come. We’re inspired by what Natasha, Ryan, and the Coolhaus team have accomplished so far and are thrilled to welcome them to The Urgent Co. and build this next chapter together.”