Following the Yellow Brick Road of entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a leaky bucket -- people go as quickly as they come. It's a sexy lifestyle! You control your time while all profits go in your pocket, not to wealthy executives. But it isn't easy, and the journey feels like an IRL version of the Wizard of Oz. 

So why do people deal with the flying monkeys? Entrepreneurs who deal-with-it are the ones who intend to leave a legacy. You'll meet like-minded people on the yellow brick road and discover your strengths along the way.

Like Dorothy, it all happens in a blink of an eye.

"Sage officially started this year at the beginning of the pandemic. Because of the extra time away from our regular full-time work schedules," said Courtney Ro, co-founder of Sage Creamery.

As a small-batch premium ice cream company, Sage Creamery sources organic dairy without using artificial colors or commercial stabilizers. The result is a creamier texture, decadent flavor, and a scoop of ice cream in its purest form.

"Sage Creamery is a tribute to my boyfriend's late brother, Daniel," said Courtney. "When the difficult task of naming the business came, we went through a few before realizing that simply naming it after Daniel, "the Sage" was the perfect way to honor his legacy."

Michelle: What was the inspiration behind the name Sage Creamery?

Courtney: Sage Creamery is named after my boyfriend's late brother, Daniel. Daniel died from cancer just two years ago at the age of 36. The experience was quite tragic but also amazing in hindsight. 

Daniel always lived in such an unapologetically authentic way. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, and would question the things others would say or do, which didn't make sense to us at the time ("just Daniel being Daniel"). In hindsight, we realized that he was trying to cut through the "noise" - past society's expectations and even the bullshit within himself - and challenged us to do the same. He had this burning desire to find "the truth" in everything, which ultimately led to an interesting and fulfilling life. 

We discovered a journal entry from his trip to the Amazon, where he drank ayahuasca and had this epic-amazing-life-altering-trip, dated August 7, 2014 (exactly four years before his death on August 7, 2018). The experience he had in the Jungle in Peru oddly mimicked his last night in the ICU, where "a parade" of his friends and loved ones came to say their goodbyes, with his "mom and dad looking on so proud". The parallels were remarkable and unexplainable. We only found more and more "breadcrumbs" through Daniel's journals, bucket list, and other files, and began to refer to him as "the living Sage."

When the difficult task of naming the business came, we went through a few before realizing that simply naming it after Daniel, "the Sage" was the perfect way to honor his legacy.

“seeing the strength displayed by Daniel during his battle with cancer... even when his body was in its weakest state, his mind and spirit were at its strongest.”

Michelle: How does your late brother Daniel's memory give you the strength to push through tough times?

Courtney: Creating this business in memory of Daniel was more than enough to get us excited about starting this new venture. 

But in terms of finding the strength to push through the challenges associated with starting a new business, there is really no comparison, when seeing the strength displayed by Daniel during his battle with cancer. He handled the entire ordeal with dignity and grace. Even when his body was in its weakest state, his mind and spirit were at its strongest. 

And that's really what it's all about; when we feel down about a particular situation, it's not about the current circumstance that matters, it's all about the way we respond that makes all the difference. Maybe we overcome the tough times and maybe we don't - but giving it all we got is what matters most.

Michelle: Why ice cream?

Courtney: You hear it all the time, "who doesn't love ice cream?" and for us it's no different. Of all of the desserts, there's something nostalgic about ice cream that has a way of transporting us to simpler times. 

With that being said, while Hawaii has a lot of great ice cream, it does seem limited when it comes to premium quality ice cream - something we noticed especially when traveling outside of Hawaii. And so, my boyfriend Zach set out to make his own ice cream at home with fresh and local ingredients and found that it tasted just as good, if not, better than most ice cream we've had before.

Michelle: What does your creative process look like when making new flavors?

Courtney: Our creative process can be described as storytelling. Oftentimes, a new flavor will come up in a conversation or a memory that we have that we want to recreate and share. 

We've also used current events to tell the stories of the community, such as our "United Pack," which we released for the Fourth of July and featured three flavors from the diverse cultures of US minority groups.

And of course, being in Hawaii, we're lucky to have so many talented human beings doing amazing things. Collaborating with other local businesses and using ice cream as the vehicle to share the flavors of Hawaii plays a big part in making new flavors. Whether it's sourcing vanilla beans from La'ie Vanilla Company, coffee beans from Chadlou's Coffee Roasters, or kiawe honey from Manoa Honey Company, we have an opportunity to share their story, which is essentially Hawaii's story.

Michelle: Where do you plan on taking your business in the next five years?

Courtney: In 5 years, we hope Sage Creamery becomes a destination for locals and tourists in Hawaii to take a break from the daily grind and enjoy something delicious. In addition to becoming a farmer's market staple, we'd like to expand our reach into more retail locations and even go mobile with our very own ice cream truck.

Courtney and I are in two totally different industries, but her story resonates with me -- being creative, connecting with simpler times, and honoring the legacy of ourselves and people we love.

Visit Courtney at your neighborhood farmers market or grab-and-go at Diamond Head Market & Grill. Click here to find out more.

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