Build the Hill

We are Build the Hill, a student-run nonprofit at UNC Chapel Hill within the Campus Y. We need your help! Elaka Treats, an ice cream shop inspired by a unique mix of South Indian and Arabic cultures and founded by Shafna Shamsuddin, needs your support to expand into wholesale!

Who We Are

At Build the Hill, our mission is to promote small business growth in Chapel Hill and the surrounding Triangle community. We usually promote economic development through the provision of interest-free microloans; however, we have recently taken on a project that is beyond the scope of our traditional microfinance services. We are calling on our community to assist us in our new endeavor: we want to help a former client and great friend of ours, Shafna Shamsuddin of Elaka Treats.

How we met Shafna

We met Shafna in the spring of 2021, when she applied for a microloan with our organization for her ice cream shop, Elaka Treats. We immediately saw just how enthusiastic and dedicated she was, and how perfectly our missions of serving the community aligned. Shafna is a passionate and self-driven individual, and we are proud to partner with and support her and Elaka Treats !

Shafna’s Story

Shafna, born in the UAE and raised by South Indian parents, came to the United States to pursue a higher education in psychology. However, she soon realized that she had a variety of different passions. After moving to NC in 2006, she decided it was time to pursue some of them! After a few years of dedication and hard work, Shafna was able to make her dreams a reality in 2019 with the founding of Elaka Treats. Though Shafna is a dedicated entrepreneur, she has been able to balance starting a business from the ground up while being a committed mother. Elaka Treats is her story!

“We sell stories and smiles!”

Shafna draws inspiration from the Arabic and Indian cultures she grew up in and produces unique ice cream flavors that have become a staple in the Chapel Hill and Greensboro area. She loves working with Elaka—cardamom in Malayalam—to create authentic flavors. Her business is a true testament to herself, her creativity, and her passion.

This is where you come in!

Elaka Treats is looking to expand and needs our assistance in order to do so. Shafna has recently found an amazing facility in Greensboro to scale up her production. She is officially taking the leap to wholesale, and we could not be more enthusiastic for her! But, in order for this kitchen to be suitable, it needs to undergo many renovations and Shafna must purchase important items. Specifically, the kitchen will require a pasteurization machine, a new ice cream maker, and other essentials. We are asking for your help to make this a reality for her. Shafna has been such an inspiration to us, and with your assistance, we can show Shafna just how much her community values and supports her.

As an organization committed to enabling sustainable economic growth in the Triangle, Build the Hill strives to provide local businesses with the tools they need to succeed. This is why Build the Hill is proud to partner with Elaka Treats for this fundraiser. Elaka Treats will receive two-thirds of the proceeds from this Gofundme. The other third will go towards future Build the Hill interest-free microloans to continue our mission of growing small businesses in the Triangle.

Stay tuned for additional updates on Shafna and Build the Hill ! We appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Learn more about Elaka Treats and Shafna at https://www.elakatreats.com/