Welcome to O’MY! Dairy Free Gelato! We are so happy you are here. Whether you found us because a trusted friend recommended us or you were simply grocery shopping and thought, “Hey, that looks like it’s for me” we are glad you found us!
You may be wondering what we are all about or how we came to be, and these are all really great questions. Every brand and company has a story and we wanted to share a little bit more about ours so you can get to know us better.
O’MY! inspiration
“I know exactly what I want to do. I want to start my own food company.”
Allison Monette
I’m Allison Monette, and those were words I’d been feeling in my gut, and finally said out loud one early January morning. I had returned to work 18 months prior after having my second son. I had always loved my work, aligning big brands with big retailers, but after becoming a parent my priorities were changing. My work was changing too. It felt less meaningful and less important in my life (and it was, but I’ll save “mommy-track” for another post!). I wanted to LOVE my work again. And I wanted to put my experience in an industry I loved and professional passion towards something MORE.
Once it was said out loud, it was time to take action! I wanted to pick a food category I could get really excited about- which meant it had to be sweet! I also wanted there to be something new I could do with it. I looked to my own diet and what we ate as a family for inspiration. While not a vegetarian, my body has never wanted much meat, so I ate a lot of dairy as a protein replacement. As I stared at my GIANT toddler, maybe too much dairy, I thought? I started exploring dairy replacements and found dairy free ice cream to be… not delicious and full of ingredients that did not seem like they belonged in ice cream. What is a tapioca syrup solid? I had been using plant-based milk in my granola, and I’d seen those offerings come really far, and become really clean label AND delicious. It had to be possible in ice cream too!
With my creative juices flowing, I began reaching out to anyone I knew who was dairy-free, for whatever reason, to learn about their life and what they thought about dairy-free ice cream. Through these interviews in coffee shops and in people’s homes, I was most impacted by those with one person who could not eat dairy, frequently because of an allergy. I learned that dairy is the most common allergy among children, and, when present, there are often additional food allergies. I had tremendous empathy for people navigating food allergies. I had spent a lot of time with Pediatric Allergists for our boy’s environmental allergies and asthma. I was already looking to make a simply made, yummy treat, so what a NO BRAINER to just avoid top allergens too. It was all coming together!
At the end of each of these interviews, I would ask “Do you know anyone else who is dairy free that may be willing to talk to me.” One woman smiled slyly and said “Yes, you should talk to my friend Julie.” “Oh, she is dairy-free?” I asked? “No, she said, but I really think you two should meet each other.” Puzzled, yet intrigued, off I went to meet Julie. Good vibes were coming my way when we agreed to a happy hour meet up on a beautiful spring day, and we both ordered the cocktail special, White Sangria. I like this lady! It turned out that Julie was an incredibly accomplished grocery industry leader with a master’s degree in food science and she was beginning to take on side projects. What luck!!! I hired Julie to work with me on recipes and we worked so well together that at the end of the project I asked her if she wanted to be my co-founder.
During the earliest days of my entrepreneurial journey I was SO energized, yet I was also a little lonely. I quickly realized that for me, “I” work wasn’t very meaningful. “We” work was SO much more fun. And so with Julie Bishop as my co-founder, O’MY! was born.
We are a certified women-owned business crafting exceptionally delicious treats made with simple, recognizable ingredients. We ALWAYS think of that home where one person cannot have dairy, gluten, or any of the top allergens when we create new flavors, source ingredients and produce O’MY! We want to make something really special, that will be enjoyed by all. And we want to do the work our way.
We’re in it simply for the smiles 😊
Show us how you celebrate with O’MY! Dairy Free Gelato by tagging us @omydairyfree
