U.S based premium dessert chain Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is pairing rapid store expansion with a tightly integrated tech stack, using Square to power operations across its growing network, while beginning to explore a partner-led, franchise-style route for international markets.
Founded in 2008 by Ben Van Leeuwen, along with Laura O’Neill and Pete Van Leeuwen, the brand started as a single yellow truck in New York and has since grown into one of the fastest-scaling premium ice cream chains in the U.S. It is widely known for its French-style ice cream, made with a high egg yolk content that gives it a richer, custard-like texture, helping differentiate it in a crowded dessert market.
Today, the company operates more than 103 stores across 15 U.S. states, with growth underpinned by its long-standing partnership with Square. The platform’s integrated ecosystem, spanning payments, analytics, customer engagement, and financing, has enabled Van Leeuwen to streamline operations and maintain consistency as it scales.
In company communications around the partnership, Van Leeuwen highlighted that having a unified system for payments and data allows real-time visibility across all locations, helping teams track performance, refine menu offerings, and make faster expansion decisions. The company also pointed to Square’s lending solutions as a key enabler of new store openings, supporting growth without relying heavily on traditional financing.
Beyond its physical footprint, Van Leeuwen has built a strong consumerpackaged goods (CPG) business, with its pints now sold in thousands of grocery stores across the U.S., significantly extending brand reach and awareness. Its retail success has been further amplified by viral, limited-edition flavour collaborations, which continue to drive both in-store traffic and off-premise sales.
International Expansion Takes a Partnership Route
While the company’s U.S. business remains largely company-owned, its global ambitions are beginning to take shape through partnerships.
Van Leeuwen previously entered Singapore in 2023 with its first international outlet, launched through a local partner, marking an early test of overseas expansion. However, the market did not evolve into a sustained long-term footprint, underscoring the brand’s measured approach to global growth.
The company has since signed a major agreement to open hundreds of stores in South Korea over the next decade, marking a more structured step toward international expansion through local operators. The move signals a selective franchise-style or licensing approach in overseas markets, allowing the brand to scale faster while leveraging local expertise.
As Van Leeuwen continues to grow both its retail and brick-and-mortar presence, its combination of tech-enabled operations, strong brand identity, and flexible expansion strategy positions it as an emerging global player in the premium dessert category, one that is cautiously but deliberately stepping toward franchising on the international stage.
