Photos by Kristen Wells
One of Toronto’s most Instagrammed cafes, Found Coffee, has released an exclusive line of collaborative ice creams with Drip Creamery, a small-batch artisan ice cream maker in Toronto.
“We wanted to make this summer really special, there’s higher energy and more positivity,” says Julian Lall, Store Lead and Coffee Lead at Found in Bellwoods. “Getting ice cream on the menu was always the plan, but we didn’t want to do it just for the sake of ice cream—it had to be something more special.”
The team started chatting with Jordan Gill, the maker of Drip’s unique ice creams who likes to make use of harder-to-find ingredients like Hainanese kaya, fresh pandan leaves, and Hojicha roasted green tea.
Other than his creative recipes, what makes Gill different from many other ice cream makers is his almost-sacrificial level of dedication to the craft: he’s lactose intolerant but still makes sure to taste-test every step of experimentation before he releases a flavour.
This special collaboration is no different, except instead of making flavours to his heart’s desire, this project was about recreating Found’s bestsellers, including their flagship drink, The Doctor, a stronger, sweeter, and smoother flat white.
Also on Found’s new ice cream menu is The Mocha, a chocolate-forward flavour that Gill recreated with espresso, milk chocolate ice cream, and milk chocolate Stracciatella.
While The Doctor and The Mocha are perfect summer alternatives to your daily caffeine intake(s), there’s another standout flavour that should be on everyone’s list.
Unlike the other drinks-inspired flavours, The Berries is actually based off one of Found’s Toast Bar items consisting of fresh berries, mascarpone, cracked pepper, mint and honey on organic sourdough bread.
To turn this toast dish into a Drip Creamery creation, Gill used mascarpone ice cream and blended it with “strawberries three ways”: strawberry mint jam, dehydrated strawberries, and powdered strawberries. As the final touch and crunch, every cup is topped with crumbled honey graham crepe.
All three flavours come in 4-ounce, single-serve cups with a nostalgic wooden spoon in each. While this convenient packaging makes them perfect for storage and summer outings, for Gill, it’s more of a throwback to those special schooldays.
In fact, all of Drip Creamery’s flavours are inspired by Gill’s childhood memories of snacks, restaurants, and other experiences. One of his bestselling flavours, the Midnight Snack, is a vanilla buttermilk ice cream with double chocolate and chocolate chip cookies—definitely a childhood dream come true.
Find all three limited-edition flavours this summer at both locations of Found Coffee on 189 Shaw St. and 324 College St., and make sure to check out Runner Market and your nearest GoodGood Cafe to try all other Drip Creamery flavours.
