Arch Grants, a local nonprofit dedicated to attracting and retaining “extraordinary entrepreneurs” to the St. Louis region, recently announced the winners of its 2024 “Startup Competition” who were awarded a total of $1.7 million in grants.
This year’s winners represent a wide range of industries including Art Tech, medical and biochemical research, educational innovation, AI, robotic and agricultural technology, and much more.
Readers of the St. Louis American may be familiar with one $75,000 Arch Grant awardee, Rachel Burns, founder of Bold Spoon Creamery.
In 2022, it chronicled Burns and her husband Corey Wilkinson’s journey from making fresh-batch ice cream for friends and family out of their University City home in 2017, to selling their products door-to-door during the pandemic in 2020.
The product is now on the respective shelves of local businesses and tourist sites including SmokeHouse Market in Chesterfield, and Fresh Thyme Market at the City foundry Straub’s, Schnucks, CITYPARK, Enterprise Center and the Dome at America’s Center.
In 2021, Burns and Wilkinson sold their home and bought a 57-acre farm surrounded by hilly terrain, the Ozark Mountains and a gushing river in Park Hills, Missouri. There, the couple planted apples, peach and pear trees, strawberries, pumpkins and herbs they use for their ice cream favors. Their eclectic menu includes Garden Mint, Brie with Spiced Honey, Goat Cheese with Fig Jam, Lavender Vanilla, Pumpkin Chi, Vanilla Crème Brûlée, Mixed Berry Brown Butter with Miso Caramel and roasted peach.
Going from what Burns described as “a hobby” in 2017 to making it a thriving business today has been an exhilarating ride. They went from three part-time employees in 2021 to more than 20 full and part-time people who make, promote and sell their products throughout the region today.
Burns still stands by a quote she made to St. Louis Magazine earlier this year about how ice cream can “bring people together.”
“Yeah, I see more evidence of that happening today,” Burns said. “For example, when we have corporate catering events…these are grownups and when we come, they’re basically sprinting out of their offices to get to our ice cream.
Burns said, “The entrepreneurial journey is not like a straight line…it can be squiggly which can be sort of anxiety-inducing.”
“But looking back at my whole adult life; I’ve been sort of interested in entrepreneurism but sort of put it aside. To be honest, when I stopped thinking about it, it sort of happened by mistake. I had too much mint in my garden and then started making ice cream. That’s how it happened.”
While acknowledging the 2024 Arch Grant recipients, Angieri said the agency was adhering to its commitment to build “a more inclusive and equitable startup ecosystem.” As an example of that obligation he said that 80% of the new awardee’s companies were “led or co-led by underrepresented founders.”
Burns said the Arch grant will help her “scale up” business. For example, she plans to purchase a refrigerated storage facility that will allow her to serve what she defines as “multi-unit retailers,” like Schnucks. She also plans to continue building Bold Spoon’s marketing and branding-awareness strategy.
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.
I like yogurt.