This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Melissa Tavss, founder and CEO of boozy ice cream business Tipsy Scoop. The company has three brick-and-mortar barlours in New York, ships nationwide through Goldbelly and is expanding nationwide with franchising this year. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Tipsy Scoop. Melissa Tavss, founder and CEO.

What was your day job (or other sources of income) when you started your side hustle?
When I first started Tipsy Scoop, I had just left my full-time job in marketing and PR in the wine and spirits industry. I was a bit burnt out and looking for something new. I decided to go to graduate school because I wasn't sure what was next for me. While in graduate school, I started developing recipes for Tipsy Scoop. I figured I would just sell the ice cream and use my ice cream cart for events around New York City.

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When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?
When I worked in marketing for wine and spirits brands, I planned a lot of events and launch parties for new spirits coming to market. We would often partner with food companies to make food infused with the alcohol we were highlighting. Believe it or not, infused food with alcohol 12 years ago was a novel idea! We did bourbon wings, Chambord cupcakes and all sorts of cool desserts.

At the same time, I thought about ice cream a lot. Ice cream-making runs in my family, going back to the 1800s. My great-grandfather brought gelato from Italy to Scotland and later became president of the Ice Cream........

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