Alec’s Ice Cream of Sonoma County raises $1 million in seed funding, plans retail expansion

Alec’s Ice Cream, a new line of super-premium organic ice cream based in Sonoma County, said it completed its seed funding and raised $1.14 million to help support its rapid growth.

Funding was received from a number of angel investors, including Golden West Food Group CEO Erik Litmanovich and President Josh Solovy, Toba Capital founder Vinny Smith, and Etchandy Farms owner Mike Etchandy, the company announced Tuesday.

This round of funding will be used to help support Alec’s Ice Cream expansion and retail distribution in the Bay Area, reach more California stores and develop a presence in Western states, the company said.

“This fundraising is coming at a critical time in our growth,” said Alec Jaffe, founder and CEO. “It will help us expand our distribution beyond the Bay Area, develop new flavors, grow our team, and increase our marketing efforts.”

He started Alec’s Ice Cream in 2018 and launched the dessert line in November 2020 with five flavors. It is now carried at 75 specialty stores throughout the Bay Area, including Berkeley Bowl, Draeger’s, Good Eggs and Oliver’s Market.

In 2019, Alec’s leased the vacated Three Twins Ice Cream plant in Petaluma.