In a world where careers are so often predicated on leaps of faith, two Los Angeles lawyers ended up on a surprising path that took them from courtrooms to ice cream freezers, from legal briefs to ice cream scoops. Justin Woolverton and Douglas Bouton, the co-founders of Halo Top, didn’t luck into their success. They engineered it with a combination of legal argument and the poetry of dessert makers. Their story from law to ice cream startup is one of innovation, perseverance and recognizing a hole in the market that everyone else overlooked.

The tale began in 2011, Justin Woolverton, a corporate lawyer at the time, was unhappy with the cold sweet options there were to be selected from. A dedicated fitness buff, he was in search of a snack that fit with his health-conscious way of life, low-sugar, low-calorie and high-protein, but not at the expense of taste. Commercial “diet” ice creams often struck him as artificial or overly sweet and didn’t measure up to his expectations. So, with a loan and a kitchen mixer, Woolverton began experimenting at home, mixing natural sweeteners such as stevia with premium ingredients to concoct a richer, guilt-free dessert.

Realizing that he might have something here with his DIY elixir, Woolverton joined forces with Douglas Bouton, another attorney who had experience corporate finance. Bouton, who had worked in private equity, recognized the business potential in Woolverton’s recipe. So they pooled their personal savings, secured further loans and launched Halo Top, today a global brand, in 2012. Named for the “halo” influence of their healthier entry, the name marked a new chapter in ice cream, one in which indulgence and healthiness didn’t have to be mutually exclusive.

It was no simple task, breaking into the crowded ice cream market. From the beginning, retailers and consumers alike were skeptical of the duo. Freezer aisles were comprised mostly of your granddaddy’s brand of vanilla ice cream, and lower calorie brands were frequently written off as dull or just not that good. Undaunted, Woolverton and Bouton tweaked their formula, concentrating on mouth feel and flavor. They employed slow-churning methods to match the creaminess of full-fat ice cream and packed each pint with protein to cater to health-conscious consumers. Their flavors, such as classic Birthday Cake and inventive Pancakes & Waffles, were created to not only stun the eyes but titillate the tastebuds.

Another challenge was distribution. Halo Top was originally stocked at small health food stores and gyms, a far cry from major chains. But there was a turning point in 2016 when the brand went viral on social media. Fitness influencers and food bloggers gushed about the ice cream’s macros, and threads on Reddit debated favorite flavors. Overnight, Halo Top was no longer just another diet food, it had become a cultural phenomenon. By the end of that year, sales had soared 2,500%, and the company was struggling to keep up with demand.

What made Halo Top different was not only its nutritional profile but its marketing genius. The founders embraced their underdog story, framing the brand as a rebellious upstart that could take on Big Ice Cream. Pint containers cheekily noted the total calories (about 280 to 360 per pint) and advised consumers to “stop when you hit the bottom.” There was a transparency that millennial consumers, jaded by inflated health claims, recognized. Even the packaging clean, simple, Instagram-friendly, felt new among competitors’ cluttered designs.

By 2017, Halo Top had knocked Ben & Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs from their perches as the top-selling ice cream in American supermarkets, a remarkable feat for a startup little more than five years old. The company eventually expanded internationally in Australia and the UK, offering dairy-free varieties for vegans. Multinational food conglomerate Wells Enterprises bought Halo Top in 2019, but Woolverton and Bouton stayed involved in development.

The company’s trajectory is one that today serves as an inspiration for entrepreneurs. Woolverton and Bouton’s jump from law to ice cream shows the power of spotting unmet needs, and executing with passion. Their tale is more than just a one of dessert; it’s one of rewriting the rules, one pint at a time. We didn’t just ice cream, as Bouton once joked. We sold a better way to experience it.