Tastes Like Heaven: Fresh Ingredients Are Key for This Growing Ice Cream and Gelato Brand

"If you walk into the kitchen, you're going to see cases and cases of lemons and limes. Every single day, we're squeezing liters and liters of lemons, limes and oranges," says Martha Trillo, the owner of Heaven Creamery. In fact, there are so many fresh ingredients back there, "it looks like a restaurant kitchen," she jokes.

But Heaven Creamery isn't a full-service restaurant at all; it's an ice cream and gelato parlor, which Trillo has grown from one shop in 2020 to four and counting. And it does a lot of things differently.

Trillo, an immigrant from Chihuahua, Mexico, who was trained in pastry and gelato in Italy, uses the word "international" to describe the business. The term perfectly matches her personal mission to be an inclusive and welcoming brand. "I'm always happy to come into one of my stores and see a combination of ethnicities," she says.

Her pursuit for inclusivity extends to those with dietary restrictions. Trillo's daughter was severely lactose intolerant as a child, and "it was very difficult when she was growing up and she couldn't enjoy the foods that other kids did," she says. In response, Trillo began developing her own recipes, but she wasn't satisfied with just the elimination of lactose from certain items — she wanted to commit to making a better product overall.
In 2013, Trillo opened a dessert shop in Avon called Kiwi International Delights, serving a variety of desserts and coffee to both locals and tourists. After several years of success, she decided to make the move to Denver to open another store.

But she also needed a new business name. While Kiwi was chosen because of its relative simplicity, its connection to New Zealand in particular conflicted with the globally inclusive concept she was aiming for in the Mile High. When her mother suggested using "Heaven," Trillo was hesitant at first because of its religious affiliation. That same day, though, two different customers who sampled the ice cream described it as "tasting like heaven," she recalls. From then on, she knew the name "was meant to be."

Her first Heaven Creamery opened in 2020 at 6955 South York Street, in the Streets at SouthGlenn shopping center in Centennial, just two weeks before the pandemic hit. When it was allowed to reopen, only pickup and delivery were permitted. "We were blessed, because our community was very supportive," Trillo says. "Even though we were brand-new, they were always calling, making sure they came in and getting our ice cream and gelato to go."

More support came from an unexpected source. "A group came in one day while we were still struggling with the pandemic. We didn't know who they were, but they posted a video," says Trillo. The content, which was created by our 2023 Best of Denver pick for Best TikTok, Denver Food Scene, went viral in July 2020, attracting even more people to the shop.
Rows and rows of colorful paletas, gelato and ice cream greet customers at Heaven Creamery. From grasshopper-vanilla gelato (yes, like the bug) to vegan activated-charcoal ice cream cones, the business is known for dishing up the unexpected.

One of the most popular items on the menu is the mango sticky rice, which is served inside of a halved coconut husk. Another fan favorite is the piña colada, a pineapple smoothie base topped with pineapple coconut milk gelato and whipped cream, all presented inside of a fresh pineapple.

Trillo also brings a taste of her Mexican culture in the form of mango chamoy, which includes mango sorbet, fresh mango slices and housemade chamoy sauce, which the owner describes as a "sweet hot sauce" made from dried chiles and fruits such as mangos and peaches.

One of her favorites, which was inspired by her Spanish in-laws, is dubbed sangria sorbet. It's made with zurracapote — red wine infused with fruits and aromatic spices.
Trillo has also whipped up a gelato with a creative combination of spinach, kale, spirulina, avocado, banana and coconut milk.

Anybody looking for a quick pick-me-up can peruse the large coffee menu as well, which includes items like matcha affogato, Vietnamese coffee and a rotating selection of seasonal hot chocolates. Other non-frozen desserts include crepes, brownies and Belgian waffles, though all menu items vary by store and season.

Trillo has also remained dedicated to expanding her menu options to satisfy a wide range of palates. "I ask customers what flavors I'm missing that they would love to have — something that reminds them of their childhood," Trillo explains. "I like to learn from them."

For all its variety, there are a few things you will not find at Heaven Creamery. The shop uses "no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, no refined white sugar and a low sugar content," Trillo notes. Instead, agave, honey and coconut sugars are used to add sweetness. There is also an entire section dedicated to vegan and gluten-free options, which includes eighteen flavors that are made using a fruit base along with coconut or oat milk.

"We are a very health-oriented family, and I wanted to provide an honest product," Trillo says. The bottom line: She vows to "not cut corners," a motto that inspired her son to produce an official theme song, which can be found on YouTube and Spotify.
The success of the original Heaven Creamery gave Trillo the confidence to continue expanding. In 2021, she added two more locations, one in Cherry Creek and the other in RiNo. The most recent outpost, in Belmar, opened last April.

One of the biggest challenges with expansion has been the limited size of the kitchens, especially since the products necessitate huge amounts of fresh ingredients. To solve the storage problem, Trillo and her team purchased a building they've dubbed the Heaven Laboratorio — a production facility that has given them increased capacity.

Now Heaven Creamery is planning to add two more locations: its first franchise outpost at 2525 Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder, which is set to debut this summer; and another at 7357 Grandview Avenue in Arvada, which will open by the end of the year.

While Trillo herself has played a huge role in the success of Heaven Creamery, she also credits part of her success to her children, along with her broker and friend Danchen Astle and other family members and friends who have supported her along the way. As she puts it, "You are nothing without the community."

Heaven Creamery has four locations in the Denver metro area. For more information, including updates on new locations, visit heavencreamery.com or follow it on Instagram @heavencreamery.