Risch names Abi's Ice Cream 'Small Business of the Month'
LOREN BENOIT/Press Micah Hudlet hands Blake Cooper an ice cream cone at Abi’s Artisan Ice Cream on Wednesday in downtown Coeur d’Alene. Abi’s was recently named the Small Business of the Month for June 2018.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Shawna Burke makes a mango cilantro ice cream cone for a customer at Abi’s Artisan Ice Cream on Wednesday. U.S. Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho named Abi’s Artisan Ice Cream in Coeur d’Alene as the Small Business of the Month for June 2018.
U.S. Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, has named Abi’s Artisan Ice Cream in Coeur d’Alene as the Small Business of the Month for June 2018. Abi’s Artisan Ice Cream will be recognized in the Congressional Record of the U.S. Senate.
“Inspired by her daughter Abi’s peanut allergy, Maren Scoggins founded Abi’s Ice Cream as an all-natural, locally-sourced shop to serve customers of all needs in Idaho,” said Chairman Risch. “Maren works hard to ensure that her creations can be enjoyed by everyone in the community, and as a result, her shop was named a top 10 ice cream parlor in Idaho by ‘OnlyInYourState.’ Her involvement in our local community and commitment to supporting all small businesses has earned Abi’s Artisan Ice Cream the recognition as Small Business of the Month.”
Previously a health care consultant, Maren Scoggins founded Abi’s Artisan Ice Cream as a way to bring together her love of cooking and her desire to bring happiness to the lives of others. Abi’s is technically a specialty kitchen, as everything is made by hand and on site. The kitchen is open and customers are invited to observe the process of how the ice cream is made. By exclusively using natural and in-season ingredients, customers are able to enjoy healthy and seasonal ice cream. Aside from being locally owned and operated, the ice cream shop works closely with the Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association to organize and contribute to the annual Coeur d’Alene street fair. In addition, Scoggins’s small business supports other local businesses in the area by making a concerted effort to procure their ingredients from local sources.
The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship oversees proposed legislation on matters relating to entrepreneurship and provides oversight of the Small Business Administration. The committee also researches, investigates and reports all problems relating to America’s small businesses to the full Senate. As chairman, Risch will honor America’s small businesses and entrepreneurs in the Senate each month.