When it comes to artisan ice cream making, flavors, transparency and authenticity are what matter, according to Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream. The company makes dairy-based and vegan ice creams for its scoop shops, food trucks and retail customers. The company claims it makes the “absolute best vegan ice cream,” and it has a customer following and a taste that backs up that claim, (this editor can attest).

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream wants to make people happy with ice cream. The company set out to revive the classic American ice cream truck and the art of traditional ice cream making using only the highest-quality ingredients and no stabilizers. For the company, it’s about being authentic and making ice cream that is truly pure.

Small-batch ice cream maker Little Baby’s Ice Cream, Philadelphia, Pa., expanded its distribution with a new line of pints in new packaging that is 100% recyclable and contains no plastic.

Brooklyn, N.Y.-based OddFellows Ice Cream keeps its customers coming back with a constantly changing menu.

High Road Craft Ice Cream & Sorbet, Marietta, Ga., started in Atlanta as a group of chefs who made ice cream for other chefs to serve in restaurants, hotels and resorts.

MilkMade, Brooklyn, N.Y., takes the personal touch to a new level. The company delivers its pints right to its customers’ doors each month.

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream started in the spring of 2008 in a buttery yellow truck on the streets of New York City.

Coolhaus co-founders Natasha Case and Freya Estreller started baking cookies, making ice cream and combining them into “cool houses” in 2008.