TAMPA, Fla. — At the hottest new sweet shop in Tampa, you can get a strawberry-shortcake sundae and a cake-filled shake called the Birthday Behavior.
There's just one little twist.
At Tru Vegan Creamery, everything is organic and dairy-free — and that includes the delicious toppings bar.
The all-vegan store is owned by three childhood friends, all women, all with dairy-free diets.
The concept originated a few years ago. Frankly, the entrepreneurs wanted some good vegan ice cream — and they realized they were gonna have to do it themselves.
"We were all living dairy-free, some by choice, some by force, and our options (for ice cream) were very limited," said Tenisha Patterson Brown, who owns the store, along with Allison Clebert and Melody Owens.
Their biggest challenge is convincing people from all walks of life that vegan can be delicious, that coconut milk and oat milk can be tasty substitutes.
"Once they taste it, it's so delicious and packed with flavor, everyone loves it," said Clebert.
The three women are all Tampa natives with important day jobs of their own.
But along with selling delicious vegan desserts, they have big dreams, including someday franchising Tru Vegan Creamery and creating a mentorship program for other entrepreneurial women.
Tru Vegan Creamery is now open seven days a week. They will have an official grand-opening party this Sunday, and the public is invited. For more information, click here.
