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    Customer Photo of Caitlin Howington

    Caitlin Howington

    Owner of Pint’s Peak Ice Cream in Denver, Colorado

     
    Denver’s Pint’s Peak Ice Cream may be named for the highest summit in the Rocky Mountains, but owner Caitlin Howington describes her small-batch artisan ice cream business as “underground.” With cool-kid flavors like mango sticky rice, peach cardamom crisp, and smoked s’mores (and featuring ingredients like ginger beer, whiskey, and local cherry jam), it’s been impossible to keep her scratch-made ice cream a secret.
     

    Surprisingly, Caitlin came to Colorado, and to ice cream, only a few years ago. Originally from Maryland, the trained pastry chef fell in love with Colorado after a solo trip to Denver and the Rocky Mountains. In August 2019, she packed her dog and possessions into her car and drove west, taking a sales position with an upscale events company in the Mile High City. COVID-19 hit a few months later. High-end catering vanished, and Caitlin was laid off. 

    But Caitlin didn't sit on her hands. Rather, she used her downtime and extensive culinary experience to experiment with a borrowed ice cream maker, tapping into ice cream ideas she had spent years dreaming up while working in the fine dining pastry industry. Within weeks, Caitlin had crafted ice creams that she felt were truly elevated, and Pint’s Peak was up and running.  

    Caitlin’s first orders were home deliveries and pints sold from a cooler at Cheesman Park. Today, she focuses on wholesale contracts with high-end markets, hotels, and eateries in the Denver area. Caitlin even snagged a spot at the vaunted Aspen Food & Wine festival, where she handed out thousands of gourmet ice cream cones to delighted attendees.  

    “We help people reach the summit of ice cream satisfaction,” Caitlin says, “expanding their palates with creative flavor combinations they never knew they needed.” And Pint’s Peak doesn’t stop there. The company is committed to a mission of equality and community engagement. Pint’s Peak promotes small businesses at every turn, while also empowering other female entrepreneurs and supporting inclusivity for all people. 

    A Power Line of Credit loan from DreamSpring puts more than $30,000 at Caitlin’s fingertips whenever her business needs working capital, whether it’s for locally sourced inventory, payroll for a pop-up event, or a delivery vehicle. (No matter how good it is, ice cream can’t get to Aspen by itself.) Boosted by her flexible line of credit from DreamSpring, Caitlin has grown Pint’s Peak into a landmark ice cream brand for Coloradans seeking a thrilling flavor adventure. Talk about a cool business model.