he makes ice cream to make a living

Vilnius usually gets quite empty around August when people travel to the seaside. There is this magical place called Nida. It’s an island surrounded by forests and white sand beaches; the dunes are rolling for kilometers ahead, painting the most beautiful picture. People often fall in love in Nida or go there to find themselves. Also, there are non-stop parties going on there - one can dance right on the beach until sunrise and then have a swim to end the night. Imagine an ice cream brand that comes from this place. We savour one scoop after another while listening to Paulius Norvilas [Paulius No:rviləs], the founder of ”Ice Dunes“, talk about his beginning.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR BEGINNING, HOW DID EVERYTHING START?

Everything began when I quit my job in Vilnius. There was a longing to run away to nature, so I left for Nida, an island in Lithuania, and ended up staying there for two years. I was relishing in my freedom, the sea, the dunes, the woods, and the rising and setting sun. In 2016, my wife Gabija got pregnant with a baby girl, and I started burning with passion to create something beautiful for the kids. So just like that, probably from that strong love for my daughter who was about to come into this world, "Ice Dunes", a creative, hand-made ice-cream business, was born.

DID THIS IDEA LINGER IN YOUR HEAD FOR A LONG TIME? DO YOU REMEMBER THE MOMENT WHEN YOU REALISED THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT TO DO?

There was no set idea. Nida has always been a place I wanted to come back to, always pulling me back, but sadly it wasn't possible to stay there forever. I had a goal to somehow manifest this magical place and the entire emotion of our vacation into something more tangible. Ice cream just happened to be part of the concept of a vacation. Since a person is driven by the five primary senses - touch, sound, vision, taste, and smell - I thought ice cream could be that connection to Nida, which will always remind one of vacation during any season of the year. That is why we spend every summer here, and that is why we make ice cream during the entire year.

You can read the full article in -What do people do? magazine, order at our online shop.

WORDS: VIKTORIJA APRIMAITĖ

PHOTOS: UGNĖ HENRIKO