Frisky Cow Gelato Certifies as a B Corporation

Frisky Cow Gelato has been certified as a B Corporation joining 12 other NH B Corp businesses, committed to the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility.

Keene-based gelato producer, Frisky Cow Gelato has announced today its certification as a B Corporation (or B Corp), joining a growing group of companies reinventing business by pursuing purpose as well as profit. 

Frisky Cow Gelato has been certified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement, as having met the highest social and environmental standards which represent its commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit. To receive this certification, Frisky Cow Gelato underwent a rigorous assessment that measures and verifies the entirety of a business's operations and covers five key impact areas of Governance, Customers, Community, Environment, and Workers.

“We wanted to focus on more than just the bottom line with Frisky Cow Gelato, which is why we incorporated as a NH Benefit Corporation in 2018,” says owner, Linda Rubin. “This means we were legally committed right from the start to doing environmental and social good.” 

According to Ms. Rubin, the B Corp certification process took nearly two years requiring the business to reach a benchmark score of over 80 while providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy, supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity, and corporate transparency. In addition, every company must legally embed their commitment to a purpose beyond profit in their company articles which Frisky Cow Gelato did when it incorporated in 2018.

Frisky Cow Gelato is now part of a community of 4,600 businesses globally (13 in New Hampshire) who have been certified as B Corps. The B Corp community in the US, representing a broad cross-section of industries and sizes, comprises over 900 companies and includes well-known brands such as Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc., Cabot Creamery, King Arthur Baking Co., Tom’s of Maine, and Pete & Gerry’s Organics. In New Hampshire, Frisky Cow Gelato joins well-known local corporations including Badger and Mascoma Bank.

Frisky Cow Gelato has a history of social responsibility. Since its inception the company has donated a portion of its revenue to nonprofit organizations building the local food system including Food Connects, the Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition and the Cheshire County Conservation District. In 2021, the company launched a Keene State College signature flavor – Mint Owl Crunch – and donates a portion of the sale of every pint to address food insecurity among KSC students. 

“As a NH Benefit Corporation sourcing ingredients, services, and other goods from local companies was extremely important to us, says Rubin. “Donating a portion of our revenue to area non-profits was also high on the list.” 

Jorge Fontanez, CEO of B Lab US and Canada, says “We are delighted to welcome Frisky Cow Gelato to the B Corp community. This is a movement of companies who are committed to changing how the business operates and believe business really can be a force for good. We and the rest of the B Corp community are really pleased to support Frisky Cow Gelato in paving the way for a new way of doing things in the food sector”. 

“When businesses are intentional about meeting social and environmental standards—and focus on more than just the bottom line—we can all affect change while making ourselves more competitive along the way,” says Ms. Rubin. “That’s what the B Corp movement is all about, using business as a force for good.”

About Frisky Cow Gelato Founded in 2018, Frisky Cow Gelato specializes in creating premium artisan gelatos that are dastardly delicious. Their products are sold in more than 50 retail stores in NH, VT, and MA. They also operate a gelato scoop shop in Keene and provide a gelato bar for weddings, parties, and community events.  Frisky Cow Gelato creates all its gelatos from scratch at its licensed NH dairy processing facility on Krif Rd in Keene.

Frisky Cow Gelato is a NH Benefit Corporation and certified B Corp and donates 2% of its annual revenue to local organizations working to build the local food system, fight food insecurity, and address environmental issues. 

About B Corporations Certified B Corporations are leaders of a global movement of people using business as a force for good. They meet the highest standards of overall social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability and aspire to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. There are more than 2,000 Certified B Corporations in over 130 industries and 50 countries with 1 unifying goal – to redefine success in business.

About B Lab B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. Its vision is that one day all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the Best for the World®, and as a result society will enjoy a more shared and durable prosperity. For more information, visit www.bcorporation.net and www.benefitcorp.net.

Local Gelato Company Donates to Keene State College

Frisky Cow Gelato (FCG), a gelato company based at Stonewall Farm in Keene, NH is donating to a new fund at Keene State College that supports activities to increase access to local food, bolster sustainability initiatives, and address issues of food insecurity for students.   

On March 3, 2020, FCG introduced a new custom flavor, called Mint Owl Crunch, to retail stores. The new flavor, described as “dark Belgian chocolate with all-natural mint flavor and crunchy red and white candy “owl pellets”, was developed by gelato artisan and company owner, Linda Rubin, as a special tribute to Keene State College (KSC). 

“Keene is a college town and I’m proud of the many roles KSC plays in helping to make our region of the state a very special place to live, learn, work and play in,” says Rubin. More than 400 students, faculty and staff were involved in the creation and naming of the dedicated flavor with special support from the college’s food services provider, Chartwells.  According to Rubin, $.15/pint of the sales from the Mint Owl Crunch will be donated to KSC for activities that address environmental and food insecurity issues. 

Frisky Cow Farm Products, Inc is a woman-owned business and an NH Benefit Corporation with a triple bottom line.  In addition to growing profits, the company is also dedicated to being a force for good in the community and the environment. The company also donates $.15/pint of sales from other flavors to local non-profits working to grow our local food system. 

Frisky Cow Gelato is sold at Keene State’s Lloyd’s Marketplace. It is one of several local products offered to students since Chartwells’ Higher Education became the new food service provider in August of 2018. According to Director of Campus Life, Jennifer Ferrell, KSC is nationally recognized for its commitment to sustainability which includes supporting projects that increase access to local food for students and faculty. 

“One of our foundational values as a public institution is sustainability,” says Ms. Ferrell. “Our partnership with Frisky Cow Gelato is in direct support of our plans to increase access to local food, bolster sustainability initiatives, and address issues of food insecurity amongst our students. According to the 2019 #RealCollege survey, administered by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice and taken by nearly 167,000 students from 171 two-year institutions and 56 four-year institutions, 39% of respondents indicated they were food insecure in the prior 30 days.  

 “I think it’s critical, especially in rural communities, for people to invest in their local economies, take care of each other, support products, farms, restaurants, colleges, shops, and salons that bring color and vibrancy to our neighborhoods and towns and strengthen our local economy,” says Rubin.

Frisky Cow Gelato is currently being sold in 30 grocery stores, coops, restaurants, farm stands, and farm stores in parts of MA, VT, NH, and CT. 

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For more information, visit www.friskycowgelato.org, email at lrubin5010@gmail.com or call 603-757-2522. Instagram: #eatfrisky; Facebook: @friskycowgelato

About Frisky Cow Gelato: Frisky Cow Gelato is a small batch, premium, artisan gelato made from organic milk, sourced from local New Hampshire farms practicing regenerative agriculture.  It is a healthier and more flavorful alternative to American ice cream with half the saturated fat, fewer calories, and less churned-in air. Everything is made from scratch using organic and local ingredients (ie,  coffee, maple sugar, berries) are used when possible.  

Frisky Cow Gelato is a woman-owned NH Benefit Corporation dedicated to growing profits and being a force for good in the community and the environment. FCG is made at Stonewall Farm in Keene, NH using organic milk from their herd.  Stonewall Farm is the “Scoop shop” for the company during the summer months. A percent of sales are donated to area non-profits working to improve access to local food. Environmental goals strive to minimize the company’s carbon footprint.

Producer Spotlight: Frisky Cow Gelato

Frisky Cow Gelato is one our new products at Food Connects (and something seems to get quickly consumed from our staff freezer). This locally-made, creamy, and delicious product will be sure to satisfy your sweet-tooth.

Owner and founder, Linda Rubin, spent nine years working at Stonewall Farm in Keene, NH (the last working dairy farm in Keene) and several more years serving on their board of Directors (1995-2011). She dreamed about ways to make the farm's dairy more profitable, therefore contributing to the long term sustainability of the educational non-profit. When her son, Zach got married at Stonewall Farm in September 2017 she began thinking about the dairy operation again.

"It's not easy to be a small non-profit with a dairy farm on it—dairy farms are closing all over the country. I was really inspired to do my small part," said Linda Rubin. “The farm had a creamery that was not being used so I pitched the idea of starting Frisky Cow Gelato—leasing the creamery, purchasing organic milk, and donating a portion of the revenue from the business to Stonewall Farm.”

Linda had her first taste of gelato in Florence, Italy when as a high school chemistry teacher she chaperoned 60 students on a summer trip throughout Europe. “I remember people waiting at gelaterias (shops that serve gelato) for an hour or more each night to be served. I never forgot that taste!” Not only did she gain a love for gelato while in Italy, but she also studied the art of gelato-making at the Italian Carpigiani University in Chicago.

Frisky Cow Gelato is great tasting, high quality, artisan gelato made right in our own back yard. Made with 100% organic milk, it is also gluten-free, and made in small batches from scratch with no artificial preservatives, colors or flavors. It is a low overrun frozen treat that is full of rich, fresh flavor, and made with local ingredients whenever possible. She also purchases maple cream from Ben's Sugar Shack in Temple, NH, coffee from Prime Roast in Keene, NH, blueberries from Monadnock Berries in Troy, NH, and strawberries from Stonewall Farm. 

“I think its important, especially in a rural part of the country, for people to invest in their communities, to support the farms, restaurants, shops, and salons that bring color to our neighborhoods and strengthen our local economy,” said Linda. “I see being a part of the local food movement as a way to provide local jobs, work with local farmers and specialty food producers, and contribute to the state's tax base. The local food movement is also important because it begins to address critical issues relating to food insecurity, open space, climate change, energy consumption, and our agricultural heritage.”

And what about that name? “I gave my gelato the name, Frisky Cow, because I wanted it to be a very accessible and fun treat—not something you would only eat in Italy.” And boy, are we glad we can get this tasty treat right here!

Want a taste of this great gelato? Frisky Cow Gelato will be at the Keene Farmers’ Market beginning in May, the Food Truck Roundup Thursday nights in June and July at the Retreat Farm in Brattleboro, the Strolling of the Heifers event in Brattleboro on Saturday, June 8th, and a celebration of National Ice Cream Day at Stonewall Farm on July 20th .