Bad Habit Ice Cream Shop

by Rafael Barrios

What inspired you and your partner to begin your own ice cream business? How did you guys come up with the name Bad Habit?

Honestly, it was quite an organic development for where we both were in our careers at the time, working fulltime at restaurants and having been in professional kitchens for several years. So we, in early 2021, around JanuaryFebruary, had the idea to launch our own ice cream brand, thinking that it would be just, you know, very small and just for friends. And very quickly, it became sort of a full-fledged retail and wholesale business. So we took the next steps to turn it into a proper business and just opened our first brickand-mortar almost three months ago, a little less, and we came up with the name Bad Habit. Honestly, I don’t know which one of us said it. Basically, once we had the idea, within 30 minutes, we had a logo, a name, and list of flavors. The concept is pretty much an organic concept development that just came from years of working professionally.

What challenges did you face when you were beginning Bad Habit? And how did you guys overcome them?

I think the biggest challenges for us are that we’re moving from a professional kitchen and learning how to manage a brand, raising money for such a big project, reaching out to wholesale stock, and being our own PR company, you know, our own press agents. Kind of learning how to do everything ourselves. Even today, running an entire restaurant, separately a brick-and-mortar space, we pretty much still do everything ourselves. So it was just kind of learning how to fill in the gaps on everything.

Tell us how you came up with the flavors and ingredients that you guys use.

While my partner Javier is the chef, he was largely inspired by classic flavors but also finds inspiration from travels and growing up in Venezuela now living in New York; I think it’s kind of a mixture, as well as his background obviously in Michelin pastry programs.

What role has social media played in “Bad Habits” success, and how you address and how you engage with customers on those platforms?

I think [it’s the] authenticity. I think [through our social media accounts,] customers are able to see very transparently how the product is made, and also what the brand is about. You know, because of how small our team is, and how hands-on we are as owners.

How do you guys plan to upscale “Bad Habits” while maintaining identity and qualities as you guys grow?

By growing very deliberately, by being very specific about who carries our product, and putting the product above everything else. You know?, focusing on maintaining quality and making sure that the flavors are still true to the brand more so than focusing on having it available absolutely everywhere.

How has Bad Habits given back to the community and what social or environmental causes does the company support?

We are participating in a bake sale for the Brigid Alliance, which focuses on health care and equal opportunity for abortion rights. As we grow, we will be able to continue focusing on giving back to the community. For now, we are focusing on making sure our staff is well taken care of and that we’re able to support the growth of the company.

What advice would you and Javier have to entrepreneurs looking to start their own food or beverage business?

I would say believe in it with your whole heart, know that you have a product that is unique, and if you believe in it and you see a trend of others believing in it, then go for it.

You can follow Bad Habit at @caletanyc & @badhabit.icecreams

In 2021, Jesse Merchant Zuñiga and Javier Zuñiga created Bad Habit, an ice cream brand, after their years of work experience in many New York restaurants. They sell several flavors, including Roasted Banana with Coffee Caramel, Blackberry & Tarragon, and Matcha Stracciatella. They later opened Caleta in the East Village, an ice cream shop by day and a wine bar at night. You can find Bad Habit ice cream there and in many stores throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and now New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Maine.