The mistake that helped cost Rebel Creamery $23.8 million and pushed it into bankruptcy

In August 2024, a woman wrote to Rebel Creamery to complain about her husband.She had sent him to the store for Van Leeuwen ice cream and he came home with Rebel. "Your product was placed right next to Van Leeuwen and looked the same," she wrote. "I nearly did the same thing when I shopped! Later, my friend shared the same experience on the other side of the country!"Two years later, that message turned up in a federal courtroom in Brooklyn, in a ruling that ordered Rebel to hand over $23.785 million and redesign its pints. On Friday, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Utah.A general view of CoAqua coconut water and Van Leeuwen ice cream during the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival on October 19, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty