Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based purveyor of made-from-scratch, vegan ice cream, closed a minority investment round led by Strand Equity, a Los Angeles-based growth equity firm.

Van Leeuwen produces its own dairy-based and vegan ice cream products in its Greenpoint, Brooklyn, N.Y., facility and operates 13 scoop shops and 6 trucks in New York and Los Angeles. The company also sells its dairy and vegan ice cream pints in over 700 retailers, including Whole Foods Market, Fairway Market and Erewhon, nationwide.

“Van Leeuwen is an iconic Brooklyn brand with a cult-like following of loyal consumers who enjoy its innovative-yet-accessible ice cream,” says Seth Rodsky, co-founder and managing partner of Strand Equity. “We are thrilled to partner with Van Leeuwen, and are excited to help the company execute on its mission of serving the highest-quality ice cream to customers everywhere.”

“We created Van Leeuwen because people deserve to eat ice cream made with extraordinary ingredients and no unnecessary ones,” says Ben Van Leeuwen, co-founder and co-CEO of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. “Every Piedmont hazelnut we caramelize, every Askinosie chocolate chip we mix in, every raw cashew we soak and blend into milk, is done to achieve that pivotal moment of serving our customer and witnessing the pure happiness that an extraordinary food experience provides. This partnership with our community is why we do what we do.”

“We are immensely proud and fiercely protective of the business we have built,” adds Laura O'Neill, co-founder and co-CEO of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. “We have grown Van Leeuwen by being scrappy, lean and always in pursuit of perfection, never compromising the integrity of our products or brand DNA. Until now, we have done so without outside funding and took our time to find a partnership that felt just right. We found that in the team at Strand Equity, as their values and approach to supporting founders deeply resonate with our own.”

“After a decade building our brand, obsessing over our product and holding true to our vision, it is equal parts amazing and encouraging to know that our hard work is appreciated by our wonderful new partners at Strand Equity,” says Pete Van Leeuwen, co-founder and co-CEO of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. “We are excited for them to join our team, and look forward to sharing the common culture and Van Leeuwen spirit that we have cultivated over the years.”