Miami's Hottest New Ice Cream Shop Doesn't Use Ice Cream

At Peel in Miami, there's no cream, no milk, and no fancy ice cream base — only overripe bananas nobody wanted to use or sell, plus a splash of coconut milk. Truly, that's it. While this stripped-down recipe for soft serve might sound like a recipe for failure in Miami's competitive food scene, for Peel's founders it has been the recipe for success.

Valeria Alvarez and her husband, Marshall, have turned rejected produce into gold, building a soft-serve movement that keeps growing. Now, lines form daily at Peel's Miami Shores and Design District locations for a taste of these banana-based treats — and the story of how it began is just as sweet as Peel's ice creams.

From Bali to Bananas

When Alvarez traveled to Indonesia in 2016, she had no plans to start an ice cream business.

A marketing professional with zero food-industry experience, she simply fell in love with the healthy breakfast offerings she discovered abroad. But that trip sparked an idea that would transform Miami's frozen-dessert scene — and spare literal tons of unwanted fruit from the landfill. "I was working in marketing when I visited Indonesia, and the local breakfast culture changed everything," Alvarez says. After returning to Miami, she plunged into the busy fruit markets of Allapattah, where stacks of produce fill warehouses under the hot Miami sun. Here she discovered something surprising: massive amounts of perfectly good produce going to waste because it didn't look picture-perfect for grocery stores.

The revelation that one-third of the world's food production ends up lost or wasted, with bananas ranking as the most discarded fruit globally, sparked an idea: Those unwanted brown bananas weren't garbage — they were an opportunity. "As bananas brown, their enzymes break down starches and produce more natural sugar," Alvarez notes. "These perfectly edible bananas are ideal for making soft serve."

Working with Marshall, who brought hospitality experience and a chemistry background to complement his wife's business acumen, Alvarez developed a simple and fresh concept: turning rescued bananas into creamy vegan soft serve using just two ingredients: bananas and coconut milk.

Growing Through Change

The path to success wasn't easy. Peel launched at the Legion Park Farmers Market in the summer of 2019, commencing a six-month period during which Alvarez used customer feedback to perfect her recipe. She tested different milk alternatives before landing on coconut milk for its creamlike consistency.

When COVID-19 hit the following spring, the couple paused operations for six months. Valeria used the time to plan their next move, which entailed purchasing a food trailer in Homestead. For the next 18 months, Peel parked outside Elevation Gym on weekends, building a loyal following.

Early on, the breakfast-time appearance puzzled some customers. "The farmers' market was from 8 a.m. till 2 p.m., and people would ask, 'Why am I having soft serve during these hours?'" Alvarez recalls. This challenge begat an evolution: While Peel had initially targeted health-conscious customers, they learned that demand was far broader. Alvarez ticks off the driving forces: "You have young families introducing their kids to ice cream for the first time, people who want to satisfy their sweet tooth without extra calories, people who are gluten or dairy intolerant, or customers who really want to know what goes into their bodies."

Miami Goes Bananas

By 2022, the hordes were demanding more. Yellow bananas painted along the sidewalk led customers to Peel's first brick-and-mortar shop in Miami Shores, a sunshine-hued storefront that continues to draw a diverse mix of customers. A Design District location followed, attracting luxury shoppers and food tourists. Here Peel collaborates with neighboring high-end brands like Gucci, creating custom flavors that marry sustainability with style. A recent holiday collaboration featured housemade toasted coconut flakes, local recipe developer Katie Fresca's snickerdoodle crumbs, and a cherry drizzle.

While Peel collaborates with luxury brands like Gucci in the Design District, it stays rooted in Miami through partnerships with local businesses. The company has teamed up with Magdalena Coffee & Houseplants, Jojo Tea, Calma Floral, and Sapta Matcha to create unique offerings. National brands have taken notice, too: Chase Sapphire has even joined Peel's roster of collaborators. "I'm particularly picky about who we collaborate with," Alvarez says. "I choose brands who share our values, whether that's sustainability, clean ingredients, or slow fashion."

Sweet Sustainability and a Look Ahead

From two boxes of bananas per week in the early days, Peel now rescues over 40 boxes weekly from Allapattah's markets. The company's partnership with locally based Compost for Life ensures even the namesake peels avoid the landfill, and all packaging stays plastic-free and compostable.

Peel's menu reflects Miami's agricultural seasons. Winter brings black sapote creations made with fruit from local farms. Come summer, when mangos fall from trees across Miami-Dade, locals can trade their backyard overflow for free soft serve.

Fall 2025 will bring a third location, expanding beyond soft serve into smoothies and açai bowls. But Alvarez keeps her focus clear. "We stick with sustainability as our forefront, and that's how we've remained profitable," she says. "We lead with that intention, and customers come because of it."

For now, each cup of Peel soft serve represents two perfectly imperfect bananas and a splash of coconut milk, proof that sometimes the sweetest success stories start with what others throw away.

Peel Miami Shores. 175 NE 96th St., Miami Shores; peelsoftserve.com.

Peel Design District. 90 NE 41st St., Miami; peelsoftserve.com.