Student Entrepreneur Brings New Ice Cream Idea to Campus Shelves
From a freshman envisioning a winning business pitch to a senior seeing her product on store shelves, Jucinda Lopez’s journey with CP&J ice cream has come full circle.
Lopez, a graduating hospitality management student, created chocolate, peanut butter and jelly ice cream through a micro-internship and is now preparing for a full-scale product launch.
“I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur,” said Lopez, who is minoring in entrepreneurship and small business management. “I want to design a concept, expand it nationally, create systems for it and then do it over and over again with different concepts.”
From Pitch to Freezer
The project began in spring 2025 as a micro-internship tied to a competition hosted by Cal Poly Pomona’s Student Innovation Idea Labs (SIIL) and the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO). Students applied, were selected and tasked to work as a team to develop and pitch an original ice cream concept.
Lopez, who had previously won a Fast Pitch Competition also hosted by SILL and CEO, was chosen to be the team’s chief development officer by SIIL Director and Professor Olive Li. Lopez also took on the role of chief marketing officer, managing both product creation and brand strategy.
Lopez conducted interviews and circulated a campus-wide survey to gather input from the CPP community on flavor preferences. The results were clear: students gravitated toward classic flavors, especially chocolate, with a preference for fruity inclusions like jelly and crunchy elements like peanut butter chips.
“So I was like, what’s not to like?” Lopez said after reviewing the results. “Let’s just throw everything in there.”
The name followed naturally: C for chocolate, P for peanut butter, J for jam — short, simple and catchy.
Beyond flavor, the concept leaned heavily into nostalgia. Inspired by childhood PB&J lunches, Lopez aimed to create a comfort food for a largely Gen Z audience.
In April, the team pitched the concept at the competition to much success, taking home the award for most innovative product. The team could have stopped there. But Lopez didn’t.
“We had the option to stop in April, but I didn’t see the point when we were already halfway there,” she said. “Once I start something, I am all in. When I heard that the product had a chance of being sold in stores, I knew I was going to do it.”
Encouraged by positive feedback during the pitch and strong interest in the concept, Lopez committed to taking CP&J beyond the competition and straight into campus retail spaces, an entirely new experience for her.
“Going into this project, the only thing I knew how to do or had any experience in was pitching an idea,” she said. “Everything else I had to learn as I go.”
She managed a team of five, wrote proposals, prepared presentations, handled marketing and navigated the operational intricacies of bringing a product to market. Along the way, Lopez learned to detach emotion from setbacks and prioritize rapid problem-solving.
The experience reinforced both the realities and rewards of entrepreneurship.
“In this line of work, there are no days off,” she said. “My phone is always on just like my brain.”
Still, she would do it all over again.
“It reassured me that I was meant for this career,” said Lopez, who aspires to become a restaurant developer and concept designer.
Become by Collaborating
To bring CP&J to campus, Lopez collaborated with CPP Enterprises, specifically CPPE Dining Services and CPPE Marketing.
“I really appreciate their support and how they didn’t try to take over my project but treated me like a partner,” she said.
CPPE Dining Services coordinated communication with external partners and navigated the logistics of putting the ice cream into campus stores. Meanwhile, the marketing team helped refine Lopez’s initial mock-ups, using professional tools and design expertise to elevate the final packaging.
The support structure allowed her to retain ownership of the concept while gaining real-world exposure to product development, branding and operations — precisely the kind of “Become by Doing” experience that bridges classroom learning and industry practice at CPP.
The Scoop: Now on Campus Shelves
In anticipation of the official launch, Lopez built anticipation for the new product through sampling opportunities over the spring semester, including at the 14th Annual Student RSCA Conference on March 7 — receiving positive feedback on the ice cream’s flavor profile and creative name. Additional samples and coupons were handed out to attendees at BroncoBound Open House on March 21.
“Sometimes I feel like I am still dreaming,” she said, recalling how she once imagined simply winning a pitch competition as a first-year student.
“I always joke that I’m going to be my best and most loyal customer,” she added. “And I don’t even like chocolate ice cream. I’m just proud of this accomplishment.”
For Lopez, CP&J represents more than a dessert.
“I want it to be a reminder to all students that the CP&J isn’t just an ice cream. It’s a result of what happens when you work just a little harder, a little extra and you’re all in.”
With one product launching and another already in development, this Cal Poly Pomona graduating senior is no longer just envisioning entrepreneurial success; she’s building it.
CP&J is now available to purchase on campus, for $3.95 per 5 oz cup at Poly Fresh Market, Pony Express at Campus Center Marketplace and College of Business Administration, and Vista Market.
CP&J was made possible thanks to the involvement of Student Innovations Idea Lab, Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization, Innovation Incubator, Office of Undergraduate Research (Hatchery), Kellogg Honors College, Center for Community Engagement and Office of Academic Innovation, and project sponsors CPP Enterprises, CA Milk Advisory Board, CA Dairy Innovation Center and Coney Island Creamery.