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Brooklyn Nets & Ample Hills collaborate on two new flavors. (Taste test: very sweet!) Deep roots in the community?

So, slam dunk, or off the rim and out?

I'm generally a fan of the Brooklyn-born ice cream chain Ample Hills Creamery, and remember when their It Came From Gowanus flavor exploded in 2014.

As a business, though, it didn't work. As reported by Courtney Rubin in Medium in 2021, Ample Hills grew too fast, with a way over budget new production facility in Red Hook, and went into bankruptcy, being bought in June 2020 for just $1 million to the Oregon tech manufacturer Schmitt.

Teaming up

So it was a little off-putting to read, in the 11/28/22 Brooklyn Nets press release, Ample Hills Teams Up With the Brooklyn Nets to Debut ‘Birthday Swishes’, this quote:
"The Nets are our home team and have been woven into the fabric of Brooklyn for a decade” said Michael Zapata, CEO of Ample Hills. “We couldn’t imagine a more incredible partnership with a brand that has deep roots in the community, like us." 
Well, deep is relative. Does ten years for the Nets mean deep? As for Ample Hills, founded in 2011, slightly deeper roots for the brand, but not the owner, though note Zapata's 2020 pledge to carry on the legacy of the founders, Brian Smith and Jackie Cuscuna (who now run The Social).

As noted in my tweet, the ice cream flavor--Birthday Swishes: Away Game, containing white birthday cake ice cream with chocolate frosting swirls, housemade chocolate cake batter bites and anniversary sprinkles--was way too sweet.

But, hey, maybe the Home Game flavor, available only at the arena, is better.

Note dutiful coverage in Brooklyn Paper, Brooklyn Eagle, BK Mag, and News 12. At least Patch mentioned the bankruptcy and the non-local owners. Nobody managed a taste test.

The press release

Ample Hills Teams Up With the Brooklyn Nets to Debut ‘Birthday Swishes’
November 28, 202210:10 AM EST
Two New Ice Cream Flavors Created for the 2022-23 NBA Season in Celebration of the Nets’ 10 Years in Brooklyn

BROOKLYN — Here’s the scoop! Brooklyn-based ice cream company Ample Hills Creamery is teaming up with the Brooklyn Nets to debut two new flavors in honor of the Nets’ 10 years in Brooklyn. The ice cream will be sold at Ample Hills scoop shops across New York and New Jersey and at Barclays Center, home of the Nets.

The two new flavors are:

Birthday Swishes: Home Court Advantage - Sold exclusively at Barclays Center in single serve (4oz) cups, this flavor features dark chocolate cake ice cream with white frosting swirls and black, white and silver sprinkles. The dark coloring of Birthday Swishes: Home Court Advantage is a nod to the Nets’ black Icon uniforms that debuted 10 years ago and are still worn by the team during home games at Barclays Center.

Birthday Swishes: Away Game - Sold in pints and as scoops across all Ample Hills scoop shops in New York and New Jersey, this flavor features white birthday cake ice cream with chocolate frosting swirls, house-made chocolate cake batter bites and black, white, and silver sprinkles. The white coloring for Birthday Swishes: Away Game reflects the Nets’ white Association uniforms the team frequently wears during road games.

Inspired by the Nets home court, each Birthday Swishes packaging was designed by Ample Hills’ longtime Creative Director Lauren Kaelin. The design features the ice cream brand’s iconic characters – Walt, Whitty and PB – wearing the Nets’ signature black Icon jerseys while playing basketball at Barclays Center, surrounded by cheering fans.

"The Nets are our home team and have been woven into the fabric of Brooklyn for a decade” said Michael Zapata, CEO of Ample Hills. “We couldn’t imagine a more incredible partnership with a brand that has deep roots in the community, like us. We’re so excited to offer two new flavors that really celebrate the team’s history at Barclays Center, a neighbor to so many of our scoop shops.”

“Since day one Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets have been focused on spotlighting local businesses,” said Andrew Karson, Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing, Strategy and Solutions at BSE Global, parent company of the Nets and Barclays Center. “Ample Hills is an iconic Brooklyn establishment, and our fans love their ice cream! We are excited to see this collaboration come to life and to make Nets-inspired ice cream available to our fans both at Barclays Center and throughout Brooklyn. This collaboration is truly the cherry on top for our 10-year celebration!”

A portion of proceeds from all Birthday Swishes sales will go toward the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals of all ages by focusing on health, wellness, and creating a more equitable society.

To celebrate the launch, 1,000 free samples of Birthday Swishes: Home Court Advantage were distributed at the Nets game on Nov. 27 at Barclays Center. Additionally, yesterday all New York and New Jersey Ample Hills scoop shops distributed the first 100 scoops of Birthday Swishes: Away Game for free. For more information, visit www.amplehills.com.
From Ample Hills
Brooklyn Nets 🏀 Birthday Swishes

We collaborated with the Brooklyn Nets to churn two brand new birthday cake flavors for their 10 year anniversary in Brooklyn: a home flavor for their home at Barclays Center and an away flavor for our scoop shops. Both flavors are in Nets iconic team colors: black & white. Meet the Birthday Swishes.

Birthday Swishes: Away Game is a white birthday cake ice cream with chocolate frosting swirls, housemade chocolate cake batter bites and anniversary sprinkles. Birthday Swishes: Away Game is available online and in select East Coast scoop shops.

The advantage of seeing the Brooklyn Nets play at their home arena? You can try our second flavor. 🏀 Birthday Swishes: Home Court Advantage is exclusively available at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

All sales benefit The Brooklyn Nets & New York Liberty Foundation. Read more about the collaboration here
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