Trent Alumna’s Business Success Continues to Grow
Brooke Hammer ‘13 brings “Nicecream” to the shelves of Whole Foods Market
Trent University alumna, Brooke Hammer ‘13 has not been away from campus for long, but the Business Administration graduate and local entrepreneur is continuing to establish a precedent track record of impressive success. Since launching her company, Chimp Treats, in June 2016, Ms. Hammer has announced that starting May 2017, the company’s “Nicecream” product line will be in available in major North American grocer, Whole Foods Market.
During her time at Trent, Ms. Hammer was a varsity athlete and developed the recipe for Nicecream to bridge the gap between healthy eating and an active sweet tooth. The single ingredient fruit ice cream is made entirely from bananas, without the refined sugars and dairy found in most frozen treats, and is produced locally in Peterborough.
Chimp Treats currently operates in the Innovation Cluster’s downtown Cube and Ms. Hammer has quickly become an entrepreneurial leader in the Peterborough area, winning accolades including the FastStart award, Women’s Business Network award and Start-Up Peterborough’s fan favourite award in the Bears’ Lair competition last year. Although her business has strong roots in the Peterborough area, the opportunity to expand the reach of her products into the greater Toronto area offers the promise of making Nicecream an international success.
“My mentality is: 'the worst thing people can say is no',” said says Ms. Hammer. “That helps me go after any opportunity that I see.”
Nicecream is currently available on the shelves of Sobeys, JoAnne's Place, Fiesta Farms, and Foodland in Toronto, Peterborough, and the surrounding area. More information on the products can be found on the Chimp Treats website.