Behind the Business: Alice & Belinda from Dear Bella Creamery

Belinda Wei (left) and Alice Cherng (right)

Just to start us off, can you take a moment to talk about your personal passions and interests?

Alice: Our mutual passion is eating! Dining out is a big interest, especially because it merges into our business life.

Belinda: Food is my absolute favorite. Creating things that people can enjoy that are plant based became a huge passion of mine. I loved how food connects people and how I can explore different cultures through food.

Alice: Just to give you an example - this morning, I drove from North Hollywood to Chinatown to pick up three croissants because they were made by this Asian-American woman, who has been doing a pop-up down there. I got there at 10AM and she was already sold out by 9AM. 

How did you guys become friends? And transition that friendship into a business partnership?

Alice: We have the best meet-cute story and it's VERY cute and not made up. We had both worked at Cafe Gratitude, but at different times. Eventually, I left the restaurant and started my own accounting firm. Belinda had moved to another vegan restaurant called Spring, and I was going to meet a client there. Belinda was working and recognized me, so she decided to send out a black sesame ice cream - vegan of course. Shortly she came out to say hello.

That's how our friendship started - from a scoop of ice cream. After that, our friendship was built on going out and eating. After every meal, we were always looking for something sweet and vegan, but we would always end up at a traditional ice cream shop that didn't have good vegan options. There were always sorbets, but nothing creamy, decadent, or interesting.

Seven or eight years ago was when the conversation to start a business started. We thought, why don't we just make our own vegan ice cream? We wanted to make something that didn't exist, that people would want to eat. 

What was the turning point where this changed from a passion project to something you were really serious about putting time, effort, and money behind?

Belinda: I think just having a “Hell Yes Moment” and comparing our experimental bases to retail pints that were already out there. We really felt our ice cream was a premium product that tasted better than any of the other pints we had tried, so at that point we constructed something that we wanted to move forward with. I just tried to play with different flavors and ideas - incorporating little things at a time. At the time, I was helping with Living Foods, and they happened to have an ice cream machine there that they let me use to experiment with our flavors. That’s how we were able to develop something great!

Alice: We honestly did not expect it to work out, let alone that we would be able to open this store. We thought we would push a cart, go to farmers markets, go to the park, and sell our ice cream on the weekends in tiny containers. We were both busy with full-time jobs.

The brick-and-mortar opportunity came out of nowhere. We developed our base recipe, and three months later we found our first storefront.

Ignorance is bliss, and of course the first few years were all about survival. Constantly pivoting and tweaking recipes to make sure it had the perfect combination of flavor, texture, and creativity. Our business happened over time and with a lot of experimenting. 

Belinda: Still to this day, we are constantly tweaking the base, always trying to make it even better. We’ll look at new ingredients that we see at a trade show and try to incorporate it. We are constantly testing. 

What are your biggest roadblocks?

Belinda: I think for me, it’s the ingredients. We are focused on providing a premium product with premium ingredients, and those ingredients aren't easy to find - especially in bulk. It becomes very expensive, so we have to be cost conscious of that too and do a lot of research. Sometimes, we can’t make a product because we can't afford it. At those moments, we have to become very creative on how we could make something similar with the ingredients we can afford. 

Alice: We are still in the beginning stages of this industry. There’s not really a solid supply chain for non-dairy milk. For retail, the supply is good, but as for bulk, it’s very limiting. Their price points are at these 32-60 oz cartons max. Finding products that fit our ethos but are still affordable has been a challenge from day one. 

Was there a point where you guys wanted to call it quits? If so, how did you overcome that?

Alice: September 2020.

The first three years our business was called Coco Bella Creamery. About two years ago, we changed our name to Dear Bella Creamery. What manifested the change was a conversation about shutting the business down. During the pandemic, it was difficult.

We originally had a third investor that had a stake in the business, but we didn't feel we wanted to stay in business with him long-term. We felt he could stifle our business and we did not want to invest our time and money in a business that could get shut down or stifled.

We were really serious about the challenge and the lack of a market for vegan ice cream existing, so after some thought and conversation with others in the industry, we had the confidence to buy him out.

Now, Belinda and I own the business outright.

Once we owned it outright, we thought a lot about how we could grow and brand the business for long-term growth. The growth plan included the name change, color scheme, store remodel, product development, brand story, hiring a publicist, and our unique selling points. We almost became too passionate - it was our baby. So much blood, sweat, and tears had gone into its creation. Luckily, we had a lot of people that were very supportive and knew there was a market for us. 

What is your biggest regret looking back?

Alice: Within the first couple years of our business, I got pregnant. In my first year, I was struggling with postpartum anxiety, and it was all-consuming for me. I couldn't be as involved in the business. 

Belinda, at the time, was working back-of-house as the product manager. On the day-to-day, I had to hand over my responsibilities to another employee to run the store like a general manager. Over time we realized that there were a lot of issues with our new manager and eventually we had to let her go.  

The regret for me is not having more control earlier on, as well leaving responsibilities to someone who I hadn’t instructed without enough due diligence. Belinda suffered the most working there at that time. Belinda then started worked as general manager and she has been thriving ever since. 

Belinda: Early on, I had to go through a lot of hiring processes. Trying to find good people for back-of-house was really hard. You can't tell if someone has a good work ethic off-hand. I felt Dear Bella was a place someone could learn, and I felt I had the responsibility to coach them into that role, but I also had to realize that sometimes things just drag on too long. Having some employees for that long was unnecessary, and it impeded on our business and our workflow.

I learned that now, after a lot of trial and error, and it took around five years to hone in. I can point out the red flags pretty easily now, based on experience. When we first started hiring employees, there was a lack of communication. Now over-communication is needed within our team. 

So many small business owners struggle with employees understanding their mission.  How do you find the balance between wanting to be involved in everything and delegating?

Belinda: Finding that balance is definitely a constant practice for me because I come from working in the industry for 12+ years, knowing that there's a certain way to work, and my work ethic is very strong, so I expect that from other people.

In the beginning, I was struggling with controlling those situations that call for delegation, but now we are focused on connecting with our team. We create a space that allows people to enjoy the type of work that they do. To be able to provide that space, I just have to remember that we want a space that is safe and a space where people can trust us to create systems to help them excel in their skillset. Especially in back-of-house because that's where I feel is the most important foundation of our business, so we have to get those systems right.

For me, trying to find that balance is talking with Alice. When things aren’t done the way I want it to be done, she reminds me that these people aren't machines. I really have to take a step back and allow for mistakes. That, for me, is letting go of control and having mindfulness. Alice has really helped me in that department. 

Alice: Delegation is essential, and I think that's a big issue most entrepreneurs struggle with, because they want complete control. We all want to control our companies.

I delegate too fast because I'm of the camp that not a single person can do everything, and everyone should be an expert in their own field. The balance for me, first comes from creating a system for our business. That means a lot of documentation, checklists, and guides that we have developed over time that can assist our employees. Second, is when we hire people, it's about hiring someone based on their work ethic, coachability, positive energy, and their ability to take criticism. More so than the technical skills. Those traits are key for us, so once someone learns the ropes, we can trust them to do their jobs with just an occasional check-in.

We also have systems that we develop as owners and managers to check that the work is done correctly. It's not about blaming each other, but it's about how we help each other collectively keep the brand up to standard. It makes everyone’s lives better. That's the balance - trusting someone and having checkpoints because we are responsible as owners.

What was the decision like to expand into multiple locations? We’re really excited to have you here at The LAB, and I know it’s a really big deal for a small business to open another location.

Alice: I mean we honestly have been looking for a second location for years, even before we became Dear Bella. I remember there was a point when we were driving down to Long Beach, Newport Beach, and just everywhere around Orange Country every couple months to look at locations, but we put a pause on that when COVID-19 happened.

The decision to expand, was basically, the whole point of our business - the vision was always to be multi-location. It was never meant to be a single store, both because it is a very unique niche product, and also, we just have bigger aspirations than that. Since our plan was always to have additional locations, we developed and created an operation that’s easily replicable and that can easily run itself with the right team.

However, why Orange County? It's such a niche product that we didn't want to self-cannibalize. It is important to us and our brand to make sure that every store in the future is at least a 30-minute drive from each other.

I know you mentioned that you had a third partner that you bought out, and I think small businesses struggle with deciding who to do business with and who they want to partner with. How did you two know that you could partner with each other?

Alice: I mean, we didn't. It's been luck. There were no red flags to begin with. You start a friendship or a business relationship, and if there's friction from the beginning, you know that it’s not going to work. But ultimately, there was no way to tell if we were going to be successful business partners, not even through our friendship. And we’d only been friends for about two years before we started our business together.

But what I can tell you is, our personalities really gel, as well as our skill sets. We were not both in the kitchen or both in the front. We had complementary skill sets but a shared passion in plant-based foods. Those things kind of aligned for us, and it has always been unspoken, but it has worked.

As for challenges, we just have candid conversations with each other. And, before we started our business together, we had both worked at Cafe Gratitude, which has a spirituality component, so when Belinda and I became friends, it was clear to me that we both had spiritual training. What that means for me is that we are both committed to not taking things personally and to be able to resolve conflict by seeing things bigger than ourselves and being committed to communicating with each other. That gave me the confidence that we could potentially become successful business partners. But only time can tell - so far it has been great for me.

Belinda: Same for me. Just the communication aspect is so important for a business relationship, a friendship, or any relationship. That's what Alice and I have that is so authentic to each other - being clear of what needs to be done without any ego attached, and a mind focused on our pursuits.

Belinda, what is it like being an entrepreneur?

Belinda: I still feel like I have a lot of learning left to do. Alice is a lot more experienced in that area because she had her own accounting business for quite some time. For me, this is my first business, and I'm so grateful for Alice to be able to mentor me. It is challenging for me and taking me a lot of time to break away from the employee mentality, and learning to delegate, so there’s some things that I am still working on. There are some insecurities for me because I don't feel like I know everything. Each day is a new challenge for me, but I think the most difficult has been the mindset shift into the mindset of an owner.  

Alice, what’s been your experience being a woman in business?

Alice: I think the challenge of being a woman entrepreneur and boss is that male counterparts experience less of people not taking them seriously. It doesn't happen as much for males because women are expected to be more nurturing, more soft-spoken, and more lenient. We are all these things, but at the same time, we are firm, and we take things very seriously. I think sometimes people don't expect that women can be business owners. They think of rainbows and unicorns, and that everyone’s having fun. I think there's some experiences where employees felt like we were too “bitchy,” and that’s not something you would get if we were male.

Finding our management style and at the same time dealing with imposter syndrome, like Belinda was saying, is unique with entrepreneurs. 

Lastly, what advice would you give to other businesses that are just starting out?

Alice: Find your tribe. I could not do this without Belinda as well as other people in this industry. It's really about finding people that want to live with the same purpose as you. For us, that’s bringing dairy-free ice cream to the world that is delicious. Find people with the same kind of passion as you, that you can bounce ideas off of or even share a meal with, and just have a good time.

Know that you are not alone, and others are experiencing this. Entrepreneurship can be very lonely. I have had my accounting business for a while, and it got very lonely, so finding your tribe is very important and general advice.

Belinda: Go out and get the experience in the industry that you want to start your business in. I've consulted with new business owners that have opened restaurants with zero experience, and that's why they bring me on.

Have compassion for your team and know where they come from, and the experiences they are going through.

Back up what you preach.