Local Ice Cream Favorite Expanding

LITTLE MAN ICE CREAM NOT SO LITTLE ANYMORE

Little Man Ice Cream is one of Denver’s unique gems. The establishment is constantly hustling and bustling with customers standing in a 30-minute-long line for the acclaimed ice cream. Little Man was named after owner Paul Tamburello’s father, Peter Tamburello, aka “Little Man.” The sweet boutique was founded in 2008 in an effort to keep Tamburello’s father’s legacy alive.

Taking after Coney-Island-style food stands, from the 1950s-inspired uniforms, to purveying from a 28-foot-tall ice cream can, Little Man stresses the importance of the experience as well as the product. The business revives the vintage aesthetic of the simplicity of 1950s era delights.

All the ice creams, sorbets, and vegan ice creams are hand-crafted from primarily locally-sourced ingredients. The establishment is known for their exquisite product, but also the uniqueness of their flavors.

The enterprise has become a tourist attraction and a local favorite, with lines trailing around the block nearly every night. Because of their explosion in popularity, the Little Man team will be opening new locations all across Denver to accommodate the high demand for their product.

“We currently have three new locations slated to all open by 2017 in Stapleton, Congress Park, and West Colfax,” Loren Martinez, General Manager of Little Man said. “The West Colfax expansion will be the new Little Man Production facility, dubbed the ‘Little Man Ice Cream Micro-Batch Creamery.’ Guests will be able to watch ice cream and its ingredients made on site and order a flight of their favorite flavors.”

Little Man thrives around the community in Denver; its support and encouragement is the backbone of the business. “We hope to engage in community the same way we have developed relationships with schools, local authorities, and neighbors in the Highland Community,” Martinez said.

Little Man will be replacing the Daily Scoop at 12th and Madison. Another location will be at 4409 West Colfax and Tennyson, slightly south of the Sloan’s Lake neighborhood. Along with housing a third Little Man location in Stapleton, the development will also host the Kitchen Next Door and ChoLon, just a few more Denver favorites.

In addition to their singular location, Little Man has implemented their “Scoops for Scoops” program, where the customer can help make a difference in the community. For every scoop of ice cream a customer buys, Little Man will match that scoop of ice cream with a scoop of rice, beans, and other necessities to a community in need across the world.

“Little Man Ice Cream was built on a belief—a belief that businesses exist to make a difference,” Martinez said. Not only is Little Man a business that creates and designs a delicious product for entire communities, but they also thrive to give back to the community that supports them.

—Sarai Nissan