Nicco’s Ice Cream

Founder Story: Nico Vergara

From an igloo cooler on NE Broadway to a multi-state ice cream empire, Nico Vergara's entrepreneurial journey embodies the spirit of determination and community support.

Starting in 2021 with just a cooler full of ice cream, Nico progressed to a push cart outside Prost food carts, saving every dollar toward his dream of astorefront. Through YouTube tutorials and sheer determination, he transformed a space on Fremont into his first shop - though he quickly learned the challenges of selling ice cream during Portland winters.

Undeterred, Nico expanded to a second, larger location on Killingsworth. It was at this pivotal moment that he found the Built community. Feeling isolated and uncertain about his next steps toward wholesale distribution and expansion to warmer markets, Built became his lifeline.

NICO’S ICE CREAM

Being a founder, I felt very isolated, but Built was a community and everyone was in the same boat,' Nico reflects. The connections he made, particularly through his Built WhatsApp group which remains active today, provided crucial support and guidance.

Built's PSU Farmers Market program opened new horizons for Nico's Ice Cream, helping him refine his brand positioning and gather valuable customer feedback. Today, Nico's Ice Cream operates four locations - two in Portland and two in California - and supplies 150 wholesale accounts. In a beautiful full-circle moment, Nico now mentors emerging founders in the Built community, embodying Portland's unique business culture where community is valued over competition

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