It started because of a food craving. Jennie Dundas and Alexis Miesen didn't know of a good ice cream shop in their Brooklyn neighborhood. So, they did what most people don't when they have a major hankering. They opened up their own shop, Blue Marble.

But somewhere among the scoops of award-winning ice cream from Time Out New York readers, serving aces at the U.S. Open, and rolling out mobile ice-cream units, Blue Marble Ice Cream took on a new flavor. It added the philanthropic Blue Marble Dreams.

At a theater workshop at the Sundance Institute, Dundas---co-owner of Blue Marble who is also an actor--- was approached by Odile Gakire Katese, a Rwandan drummer and playwright with a dream. She wanted to bring ice cream and self-sufficiency to the people in Rwanda.

"Because we struggle most of the time, we find ourselves aggressive against happiness, love, joy, life ... Rwandan women want to reshape life in its simplest and sweetest form," Katese told Dundas.  "We want to create a space where poverty, disease, illiteracy are not obstacles to happiness and barriers between human beings ... The ice cream will have the power to reconcile people with life by providing privileged moments when life reminds them that it is also sweet."

In response, Blue Marble created the non-profit venture Blue Marble Dreams. Through hard work; partnerships with women in Butare, Rwanda; even more hard work; and generous financial gifts, Rwanda's first-ever local ice cream shop is opening in June 2010. The name? Sweet Dreams (Inzozi Nziza), of course.

Blue Marble Dreams came to be because Dundas and Miesen took a risk of pursuing a dream. So, when an opportunity arises for your own non-profit or for-profit venture, what should you do? Consider these tips.

• Know your focus. Blue Marble ice cream is sourced from an organic dairy co-operative in Lancaster, Penn., that includes Amish and Mennonite farmers. This leaves Dundas and Miesen to focus on the power of ice cream rather than the recipe. "We have no real interest in doing the culinary aspect. What we feel is our real strength is creating and building a brand that is going to have a major impact," says Dundas.



• Do your research. Dundas and Miesen spent a considerable amount of time learning about Rwanda and where to open up a shop. They decided on Huye, Rwanda, a city known for its “cultural pulse.” Plus, Rwanda has a prosperous dairy industry. And they spent hours and hours learning about Rwanda from Katese.



• Consider any training or further education needed for people involved in the project. Blue Marble Dreams provided extensive English and accounting classes to 100 Rwanda women. Though not all were chosen for the shop, they all benefited from the education and expanded their skill sets to make them more employable. Then, Blue Marble Dreams brought representatives of the Business Council for Peace to spend an intense week helping the women work on customer service, running a business, and managing personal finances.