Salt & Straw

Salt & Straw is an American artisan ice cream company headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 2011 by cousins Kim Malek and Tyler Malek, the company began with a food cart in Portland’s Alberta Arts District before opening its first permanent shop roughly three months later. Its identity is built around small-batch ice cream, highly developed flavor concepts, and a willingness to use ingredients that are unusual in mainstream ice cream. The brand combines familiar, nostalgic formats with more unconventional combinations, including savory, floral, fermented, agricultural, and locally inspired ingredients. The company’s product approach has helped it attract national attention. Its flavor range has included classics such as Double Fold Vanilla alongside more experimental creations such as Bone Marrow with Bourbon Smoked Cherries, Arbequina Olive Oil, and other limited or seasonal formulations. Rather than relying only on a fixed menu, Salt & Straw regularly uses monthly themes, collaborations, community projects, and ingredient-focused series to create new reasons for customers to visit its shops or order online. Some flavors are developed with outside partners, while others are created through educational or social-impact initiatives. Salt & Straw expanded from its original Portland presence into a multistate retail chain and also developed nationwide home delivery. For shipping, the company uses dry ice and kraft-paper packaging to keep products frozen during transit. Its physical presence includes scoop shops in multiple states as well as locations at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. The company is also the exclusive ice cream partner of Alaska Airlines, extending the brand beyond its own stores and online channel. Community and sustainability programs are important parts of the brand’s public identity. In 2015, Salt & Straw worked with elementary schools, pairing shops with schools so children could help design flavors. In 2016, it developed flavors from food-production by-products and surplus ingredients, including overripe strawberries, spent brewing grains, and near-expiration vegan mayonnaise. Proceeds from the featured Portland flavors were donated to Urban Gleaners. The company has also described practices intended to reduce product waste, including donating ice cream that is no longer on the menu to nonprofit organizations. In 2022, Salt & Straw introduced edible perfume as an enhancement that could be sprayed onto a scoop, illustrating its interest in multisensory food experiences. Its annual Upcycled Food Series, launched in April 2022, has subsequently used ingredients such as date-seed coffee substitutes and whey-based products. Food & Wine reported in 2025 that the series had diverted more than 40,000 pounds of food waste. The company has also benefited from growing consumer interest in premium frozen desserts and from celebrity investment; Dwayne Johnson is reported to be a partial owner. By 2025, Salt & Straw had locations in seven states. The business remains primarily a premium ice cream retailer and packaged-food brand, with revenue channels spanning scoop shops, online delivery, partnerships, and branded experiences. Its positioning rests on craftsmanship, culinary creativity, storytelling, and an emphasis on flavors that are distinctive without abandoning recognizable ice cream traditions.

Salt & Straw was established in Portland, Oregon, in 2011 by cousins Kim Malek and Tyler Malek. The venture initially operated from a food cart in the Alberta Arts District. That format gave the founders a relatively direct way to test recipes, build a local following, and establish a brand around unusual flavor concepts before moving into a permanent retail setting. Approximately three months after the cart began operating, Salt & Straw opened its first brick-and-mortar location. The company’s early development was closely tied to Portland’s independent food culture. Its shops presented ice cream as a culinary product rather than only a conventional dessert, with flavors designed around specific ingredients, local associations, seasonal themes, and collaborations. The menu combined traditional flavors with adventurous options, helping the company gain attention beyond Oregon. Examples have included Double Fold Vanilla and more challenging combinations such as Bone Marrow with Bourbon Smoked Cherries and Arbequina Olive Oil. After establishing its Portland base, Salt & Straw opened additional locations in the Portland area and then expanded into other states. By 2025, the chain had locations in seven states. The company also developed a direct-to-consumer delivery operation serving customers throughout the United States. Because ice cream must remain frozen during transit, its shipments use dry ice and kraft-paper packaging. This delivery channel allowed the brand to reach customers outside its retail footprint while preserving the premium, shop-to-home experience. Partnerships and public visibility became further elements of the company’s growth. In 2014, Vice President Joe Biden visited Salt & Straw with Senator Jeff Merkley. The brand later opened locations at Disneyland and Walt Disney World and became the exclusive ice cream partner of Alaska Airlines. These relationships placed Salt & Straw in high-traffic entertainment and travel environments and broadened its association with destination experiences. Salt & Straw has repeatedly used community and sustainability programs as sources of product development. In 2015, it partnered shops with elementary schools and worked with children to create flavors. The resulting concepts included Stop, Guac & Roll, based on avocado and vanilla ice cream with cinnamon-sugar-dusted fried tortillas, and Honey Bear, a vanilla custard with chocolate honeycomb candy and edible glitter. In 2016, the company experimented with ingredients that might otherwise have been discarded, including overripe strawberries, spent brewing grains, and near-expiration vegan mayonnaise. The Portland proceeds from that program included a donation to Urban Gleaners, a nonprofit organization. The company’s approach to waste reduction also includes donating ice cream that is no longer on the menu to nonprofit groups. In April 2022, Salt & Straw launched its Upcycled Food Series, which made new flavors from food-system by-products. Later examples included date seeds used as a coffee substitute and whey-based products described as “wheyskey.” Food & Wine reported in May 2025 that the program had diverted over 40,000 pounds of food waste. Product experimentation continued in 2022, when Salt & Straw introduced edible perfume that could be sprayed onto scoops as an aromatic enhancement. This initiative reflected the company’s broader interest in multisensory eating and theatrical presentation. The same philosophy is reflected in the work of Tyler Malek, who published America’s Most Iconic Ice Creams in April 2025 and used the book to explain his approach to balancing familiar flavor structures with unexpected ingredients. Salt & Straw is partially owned by actor and professional wrestler Dwayne Johnson. The company remains active as a premium ice cream retailer and delivery business, with a network of scoop shops, online sales, travel and entertainment partnerships, and recurring seasonal or purpose-led product programs.

• 2025

  Upcycled series reports more than 40,000 pounds diverted

  [1]Salt & Strawen.wikipedia.org

  Food & Wine reports that the upcycling program has diverted more than 40,000 pounds of food waste since launch.

• 2025

  Tyler Malek publishes an ice cream book

  [1]Salt & Strawen.wikipedia.org

  Co-founder Tyler Malek publishes America’s Most Iconic Ice Creams, describing his flavor-development philosophy.

• 2022

  Upcycled Food Series launches

  [1]Salt & Strawen.wikipedia.org

  Salt & Straw begins an annual series focused on turning food by-products into ice cream ingredients.

• 2022

  Edible perfume enhancement introduced

  [1]Salt & Strawen.wikipedia.org

  The brand adds a sprayable edible perfume intended to enhance the aroma of its scoops.

• 2016

  Food-waste flavor initiative

  [1]Salt & Strawen.wikipedia.org

  The company creates ice cream from food-production by-products and directs Portland proceeds to Urban Gleaners.

• 2015

  Elementary-school flavor collaboration

  [1]Salt & Strawen.wikipedia.org

  Salt & Straw works with elementary schools to develop child-created ice cream flavors.

• 2014

  Visit from Joe Biden and Jeff Merkley

  [1]Salt & Strawen.wikipedia.org

  The Portland shop receives a surprise visit from the U.S. vice president and an Oregon senator.

• 2011

  Salt & Straw begins as a Portland food cart

  [1]Salt & Strawen.wikipedia.org

  Cousins Kim Malek and Tyler Malek launch the business in Portland’s Alberta Arts District.

• 2011

  First permanent shop opens

  [1]Salt & Strawen.wikipedia.org

  About three months after the food-cart launch, Salt & Straw opens its first brick-and-mortar location.

Premium artisan ice cream centered on culinary experimentation, small-batch production, seasonal storytelling, and community-oriented sourcing.

• Ice cream

  Classic ice cream flavors

  Salt & Straw maintains familiar flavor profiles alongside its more experimental work. Double Fold Vanilla is an example of the brand’s classic-facing style: recognizable, ingredient-focused, and presented as a carefully developed premium flavor rather than a generic base.

• Ice cream

  Experimental and savory flavors

  The company is known for unusual combinations that bring savory, floral, fermented, or chef-inspired ingredients into frozen desserts. Bone Marrow with Bourbon Smoked Cherries and Arbequina Olive Oil illustrates the brand’s use of contrasting flavors and culinary storytelling.

• Sustainability-focused ice cream · 2022

  Upcycled Food Series

  Introduced in 2022, this annual series uses ingredients that might otherwise be discarded or undervalued in the food system. Examples have included overripe fruit, spent brewing grains, date-seed coffee substitutes, and whey-based ingredients.

• Direct-to-consumer frozen dessert

  Nationwide delivery pints

  Salt & Straw ships ice cream throughout the United States using dry ice and kraft-paper packaging. The delivery service extends the scoop-shop assortment to customers outside the company’s physical store markets.

• Ice cream accessory · 2022

  Edible perfume enhancement

  This 2022 product enhancement is a sprayable edible perfume intended to add aroma to an ice cream scoop. It represents the company’s interest in multisensory presentation and experiential eating.

• 2022Upcycled Food Series

  United States

  Salt & Straw launched an annual series that converts food-system by-products into ice cream ingredients and uses flavor development to draw attention to food waste.

  Outcome. Food & Wine reported in 2025 that the series had diverted more than 40,000 pounds of food waste since its launch.

  Source
• 2016Food-Waste Flavor Initiative

  Portland, United States

  The company developed flavors from food by-products and surplus ingredients, including overripe strawberries, spent brewing grains, and near-expiration vegan mayonnaise.

  Outcome. Featured Portland sales generated a reported $3,000 donation to Urban Gleaners.

  Source
• 2015Elementary School Flavor Project

  United States

  Salt & Straw paired shops with elementary schools and invited children to develop ice cream concepts, turning local education partnerships into limited flavor creation.

  Outcome. The project produced flavors including Stop, Guac & Roll and Honey Bear and strengthened the brand’s community-oriented identity.

  Source

• 2022

  Launch of edible perfume enhancementProduct launch

  Background

  Salt & Straw has long emphasized unusual ingredients and experiential flavor presentation.

  Action taken

  The company introduced a sprayable edible perfume designed to be used with ice cream scoops.

  Aftermath

  The launch reinforced the brand’s positioning around multisensory and unconventional dessert experiences.

  Source

• 2022

  Expansion of upcycled-ingredient product strategyStrategy

  Background

  The company had previously experimented with surplus and food-production by-products in limited flavors.

  Action taken

  Salt & Straw formalized the approach through an annual Upcycled Food Series.

  Aftermath

  The program became a recurring sustainability platform and was later reported to have diverted more than 40,000 pounds of food waste.

  Source

1. 1Salt & Strawen.wikipedia.org