TolHouse is proud to present the Take the Leap: TolHouse 2025 Entrepreneurship Grant, a program supporting Toledo’s next wave of visionary founders. Recipients gain a full-year TolHouse Membership, workspace at Panda Workspace, business mentorship, and opportunities to showcase their businesses—all designed to help entrepreneurs build their legacy in our city.
Meet Alissa Vieira, the visionary behind Swanky Scoops and a 2025 grant recipient. Alissa’s passion for culinary creativity and premium desserts has made Swanky Scoops a celebrated name in Toledo’s food scene. In this interview, she shares how her journey began, her dedication to adventurous flavors, and her vision for turning every scoop into a memorable experience.
TolHouse: Share the story behind Swanky Scoops. What inspired you to launch your business in 2020, and how has it grown since then?
Alissa: I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and dreamed of being a business owner. A few years after my twins were born, I returned to work part-time. Being a parent shifted my priorities, and I re-evaluated how my time was spent. If I was going to be away from my children, I wanted to work for myself and build a legacy for my family, not for someone else. I started brainstorming how I could make that happen.
With most of my career in the food and beverage industry, I looked for opportunities to share my experience with Toledo. I quickly saw a lack of handmade ice cream options available. I missed the adventurous, unique flavors I had tried in other cities. Many ice cream shops purchase commercially prepared products and offer expected flavors. I wanted to create something truly exceptional that would highlight the difference between mass-produced ice cream and a scoop that was carefully curated from a superior recipe.
After doing some research and recipe development during the COVID lockdown, I was working at The Original Sub Shop & Deli. The owner, Maureen Brogan, was a great supporter of my business idea and added ice cream to her menu. I would prepare sandwiches during the day and then make ice cream at night and on weekends outside of regular hours. The response from her customers was enthusiastic, and sales began to grow.
A self-starter, in the early days, I took consistent, measurable steps to grow the business and my production. I have leased my own commercial kitchen space, added a mobile ice cream cart, purchased kitchen equipment, secured a wholesale license for frozen dessert manufacturing from the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Dairy Division, added additional wholesale accounts, hosted pop-up retail events, and grown the private event services Swanky Scoops offers.
In 2023, I received a Dairy Business Builder Grant from the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA). This grant allocated funds for much-needed equipment upgrades to scale production. With this growth, I plan to add regular retail hours very soon. Look out, Toledo—your ice cream dreams are coming true!
TolHouse: How do you develop your unique and adventurous flavors?
Alissa: Experimenting with creative flavor combinations is both the challenging and fun part of owning Swanky Scoops. For inspiration, I draw from my extensive food and beverage background and the adventurous taste-testing of my personal life. I love trying new things and am always looking for unique dining experiences when I travel.
The unique ice cream flavors I create are shaped by my personal preferences and the delicious desserts I’ve tried. New flavors develop from cooking shows, recipes, food blogs, restaurant menus, cocktail lists, bakeries, coffee shops, and specialty markets.
Of course, there are challenges in the development process, too. Food cost considerations limit the more extravagant ideas. The science of ice cream making can be unforgiving as well. For every successful flavor produced, there may be many iterations that failed to pass the Swanky Scoops standards.
TolHouse: What are your long-term goals for Swanky Scoops, and how do you envision its role in Toledo’s evolving food and entrepreneurial scene?
Alissa: I would love to see Swanky Scoops become an established and celebrated part of the Toledo food scene. When your friends and family come to visit, I want you to say, “You have to try Swanky Scoops!”
Long-term goals include regular retail hours, additional flavors, and more specialty ice cream products. Big-picture dreams include Swanky Scoops becoming a “best place to work” in Toledo. My desire for excellence includes the hopes I have for our staff. Benefits and a desirable workplace culture are goals of mine.
TolHouse: You’ve described Swanky Scoops as an “ice cream destination.” What does that mean to you, and how do you create a memorable experience for your customers?
Alissa: Swanky Scoops was created, in part, because I wanted an awesome ice cream experience for myself. I love seeking out the best spots whenever I travel. Even on quick day trips, I get excited to enjoy local food that is only available at that one place. The exclusivity is a draw for me. Chain locations don’t hold the same appeal.
This is what I mean when I talk about an ice cream destination. Our rotating flavors and seasonal favorites entice people to come back again and again. At our weekly farmers’ market locations, there are many visitors who show up weekly for Swanky Scoops. During pop-up events, we see a lot of our Swanky VIPs who come out whenever a new flavor is released.
This year, for the holiday season, we had many repeat orders of our Peppermint Fudge ice cream pie. Someone said it was so loved last year that it had to become a tradition. Nothing makes me happier than hearing this kind of feedback!
TolHouse: What has been your most rewarding milestone since launching Swanky Scoops, and how has it shaped your approach as a business owner?
Alissa: There have been many milestones along the way that have given me a feeling of accomplishment. At the very beginning, even small action items crossed off the list felt like a win. Forming the LLC and opening a business bank account were moments of achievement.
When what was once only an idea begins to have measurable means of growth, my motivation is fueled. Recognizing this cycle of “output = reward” has shaped both the goal-setting process and the day-to-day operations of Swanky Scoops.
My most rewarding milestone has been completing the application process for a Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA) Business Builder grant and ultimately being awarded the requested funds to upgrade equipment. I began this grant application as an educational exercise only—I wanted to familiarize myself with the process and gain confidence for future applications.
While gathering the necessary documents, I began to recognize that I had a strong application. My answers were supported, and my projections were backed by historical financial and operational actuals.
When I received the notification that Swanky Scoops had been selected as a recipient (one of nine in the state of Ohio), my hard work was validated. It was the most amazing feeling to know that my business dream had translated into a successful model that even DBIA would reward for its potential.
My takeaway: push yourself to move forward even when you feel unprepared. You’ll learn and grow through the process more than you know.
TolHouse: Talk about the challenges you’ve faced while building Swanky Scoops and how those experiences have helped you grow personally and professionally.
Alissa: The challenges of starting and growing a business are constant. Everything takes longer than planned. Sometimes the delays seem endless. When goal setting, I always add an extra buffer in the timeline to account for these delays.
Unexpected equipment failures have been detrimental to production schedules. There have been times I had to stop taking new orders or rely only on existing inventory.
Relationship-building has proven critical to overcoming these obstacles. For example, when my replacement parts were on back order, I partnered with another dairy processor, and he allowed me to use his facility to prepare a custom ice cream order for a wedding.
The support of other small business owners can be the difference between failure and success. If he and I had seen each other only as competitors, I couldn’t have asked for his help. A collaborative attitude has helped me overcome challenges.
TolHouse: Your background includes extensive experience in fine dining and luxury service. How have those experiences influenced your approach to running a small business and connecting with customers?
Alissa: My experience in fine dining and luxury services is something that I have incorporated into my vision for Swanky Scoops. The degree of specificity in all decisions is something I observed in fine dining.
The perfect evening doesn’t come together by chance. Every detail is carefully planned and rehearsed to execute a seamless experience. The mark of a professional is consistency, and you must be able to replicate the experience for the first patron or the hundredth.
As a business owner, it is vital to prioritize these practices. A well-planned, consistently superior ice cream product does not happen by accident. My team is best prepared when Swanky Scoops’ values are frequently reviewed, and customer interactions are prioritized and well-prepared.
The top food items I’ve had in my life have never been about the food alone—it’s been about how I felt when eating. The anticipation and the staff interactions before, during, and after all contribute to how Swanky Scoops is perceived.
TolHouse: You’ve worked with several local business resources, such as the Toledo Chamber of Commerce and ECDI. How have these collaborations shaped your growth and vision for Swanky Scoops?
Alissa: You will never inherently have all the answers yourself. Finding someone to work with who has the answers—or at minimum knows where to find them—has been rewarding.
Local business resources, such as ECDI and the Toledo Chamber of Commerce, have been instrumental in the growth of Swanky Scoops. The business advice I received from day one was: “Build a trusted team of advisors.”
This seemed like a daunting task when I didn’t know where to start. Over time, I established many working relationships with small business support services. These relationships helped me build my “trusted team.”
TolHouse: What role does creativity play in both your product development and branding? How do you strike a balance between being adventurous and staying approachable to your customers?
Alissa: A large part of Swanky Scoops’ identity is shaped by creativity. From the unique flavors and new products to our marketing and customer experience, we approach everything with a creative perspective.
During product development, I think about what will appeal to most of our fans. I know the adventurous flavors will make up a smaller percentage of our sales, so I focus on balancing our flavor offerings so there is always at least one classic option available at events.
During training, I teach my staff the best ways to describe our ice cream to guests and help them find their new favorite flavor. There needs to be some customer education and a little salesmanship to get the average person to try something new. I want my team members to have the tools to guide someone through our flavors, the same way a sommelier guides you through a wine list you’re seeing for the first time.
TolHouse: What excites you most about joining the TolHouse community, and how do you think this Membership will help Swanky Scoops grow?
Alissa: I’m thrilled for the opportunity to join the TolHouse community! Having a dedicated workspace will be a game changer for me. I’ve already had many productive meetings at Earth.
I love meeting new people and look forward to building relationships. I’m always looking for collaborative opportunities for Swanky Scoops to work with other small businesses. The energy at TolHouse leads me to believe the possibilities will be endless.
I want to learn from people who are ahead of me in business or in life. The mentors I’ve had the pleasure of working with have been instrumental to the success of Swanky Scoops. I firmly believe you need to surround yourself with people who help you push yourself to new goals. If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.
I’m also committed to sharing my perspective with entrepreneurs who are just getting started. If there is a question I can answer or insight I can share, I am happy to do so!
TolHouse: Swanky Scoops has always been a community-focused brand. How does your mission align with TolHouse’s goal of fostering local entrepreneurship and innovation?
Alissa: Swanky Scoops is about more than just ice cream—it’s about building connections and working with other small businesses. Success is not finite, and by collaborating in the Toledo community of entrepreneurs, the more success we will bring to our city.
As a business owner, I want to provide meaningful employment opportunities and help my team gain transferable skills for future roles. I’d like to help support other aspiring entrepreneurs, as so many business owners helped me in the beginning and still do today.
TolHouse: What advice would you offer to other food entrepreneurs or small business owners in Toledo who are trying to build something unique and impactful?
Alissa: Start wherever you are today. Don’t wait for a magic sign to show you it’s time. Do your homework. Take some test runs. Seek out support from small business support groups. Use the library. Do market research. Introduce yourself.
Move forward even when you feel unqualified. Be scared and do it anyway. Pat yourself on the back when you reflect on your progress. Pay for a lawyer to protect yourself. Be prepared to pivot constantly.
Throw your hat in the ring. Collaborate, don’t compete. Reframe challenges as learning opportunities.
