Runaway Cow 

The idea of Runaway Cow started over a dozen years ago, as the dream of owner Alison Eichhorn. One might say the ice cream business is in her blood. Her family owned an ice cream shop located in the south suburbs of Chicago for over 50 years. Alison spent much of her childhood working in the shop with her mother, learning the business. When her mother decided to sell the shop, Alison knew she wanted to carry on her family’s legacy, but with her own vision. Being vegan, Alison dreamt of a neighborhood ice cream shop that featured all of the timeless classic treats like her family’s shop, but made without any animal products.

After settling in Bridgeport over 18 years ago, it was important to us that we recreated that space in our own neighborhood, on the south side—a place often neglected when it comes to vegan options. When starting this venture, we worked to create a space for our community that focused on three things: accessibility- serving vegan treats in an area not known for it, inclusivity-creating a space for everyone to enjoy-not just vegans, and affordability-vegan food should be a treat that doesn’t break the bank.