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Chilly Philly: Real Philadelphia-style ice cream

When Breyers closed its West Philly plant in 1995, Coleman and Ilene Poses were concerned. They founded their company 3 years later.

Coleman Poses manufactures Chilly Philly ice cream. Photograph taken in his West Mt. Airy garden with wife Ilene Blitztein-Poses. ( ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER )
Coleman Poses manufactures Chilly Philly ice cream. Photograph taken in his West Mt. Airy garden with wife Ilene Blitztein-Poses. ( ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER )Read moreDN

COLEMAN and Ilene Poses, of West Mount Airy, founded Chilly Philly Ice Cream in 1998. Coleman, 66, retired last month from research and information management in the city's Department of Behavioral Health. Ilene, 63, is a retired special-education teacher in the Philadelphia School District. I spoke with Coleman.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for Chilly Philly?

A: We came back from a vacation in 1995 and learned that Breyers had decided to leave the city. That upset me because I grew up close to their plant [in West Philadelphia] and 240 people were going to lose their jobs and it was a profitable company. We're also close to some of the best dairy farmland in the country. Neither of us had a business background. We didn't quit our day jobs, but we thought we could make a go of it.

Q: What's special about Chilly Philly?

A: We use all-natural ingredients and no eggs. The thing that sets us apart is how the ice cream is manufactured and pasteurized. We use a process called "low temperature, long time." We cook the ice cream at a lower temperature than most ice creams, which are made by the "high-temperature, short-time" method. People say, "This is really creamy," then they look at the nutrition panel and see we have less than half the saturated fat of other ice creams.

Q: How many flavors?

A: Right now, just vanilla and vanilla malt chip. I've had talks with my manufacturer about doing a chocolate flavor.

Q: The biz model?

A: We're in about 10 stores in the region and South Jersey. Two restaurants, Earth Bread + Brewery and Spring Mill Cafe, use our vanilla. Bassetts distributes it, and it's manufactured in Royersford at Nelson's Ice Cream per our recipes.

Q: How much ice cream do you make and sell annually?

A: We put out pints and 3-gallon tubs and have about $10,000 in annual revenues.

Q: Who buys Chilly Philly in stores?

A: I've tried to gauge that through in-store demos. I'd say just about anybody of any age, gender, ethnic background.

Q: Competitors?

A: We've tried to keep our prices competitive, probably too low, but still feel we have an uphill battle. We're less expensive than Ben & Jerry's. We're competing with the big boys, and there are a few other local products trying to get on the shelves, but we're a bit more ahead.

Q: What's next?

A: I'd like to strengthen our position in existing markets. I'm also hoping to approach some new restaurants that buy local. Beyond that, expand into new markets within a certain radius of Philadelphia.

" @MHinkelman

Online: ph.ly/YourBusiness