Paul Nasrani’s taste for ice cream started early. As a teenager working on a Pennsylvania farm, he learned to churn fresh cream into simple, delicious batches under the guidance of a farmer named Earl. “Even when I was 13, I was telling a friend I’d open my own parlor,” he laughs.
That childhood dream never melted away. While building a career in finance, Nasrani spent his free time perfecting small-batch recipes in his tiny New York City apartment, bringing his homemade creations to work, where coworkers raved. Soon, he was studying dairies on weekend trips, filling notebooks with ideas, and immersing himself in the craft.
One day he stumbled upon an auction at an ice cream shop in Grand Central Station. “I had just gone down there to get a cone,” he recalls, “and I walked out with some major equipment.”
With that, Nasrani took the leap. He moved upstate to a farm near Lake George, and, in 2004, turned his passion into a business. What began as a seasonal venture supplying small Adirondack shops quickly grew into a national brand – one committed to redefining classic flavors while sourcing milk and cream directly from New York farms. Each flavor tells a story. “Earl’s Chocolate Peanut Butter” pays tribute to his old mentor, while “Kashmiri Kahwa” – infused with cardamom and saffron – honors his wife’s Indian heritage.
Powering growth with American Express business products
As Adirondack Creamery scaled up, Nasrani quickly realized that passion alone wasn’t enough; he would also need smart financial tools to help him manage cash flow gaps, cover some of the cost for large purchases, and keep pace with his growing vision.
An American Express Member since 1988, Nasrani now leverages a suite of Amex business products designed for small business owners. From managing daily expenses to securing financing for expansion, he says tools like the Business Goldand the Business Platinum Card®¹, American Express® Business Checking², the American Express® Business Line of Credit³, and American Express Business Blueprint™⁴ have all played a role in Adirondack Creamery’s success.
Building confidence with Amex Business Cards
For day-to-day operations, Nasrani says he relies on his Business Gold and Business Platinum Card®, which have become essential tools helping to keep business running smoothly. Whether he’s purchasing ingredients, investing in marketing, or taking advantage of travel benefits, he knows the Cards provide flexibility and support.
“The service level of Amex is something we’re very confident about,” Nasrani reports. “If something ever goes wrong, we call Amex – they take care of it without a hassle. You know it’ll just get fixed.”
Beyond business, the Membership Rewards®⁵ ⁶ points from both Cards have also made a meaningful impact. With his wife’s family from Kashmir, Nasrani frequently travels internationally and uses Membership Reward® Points from his Business Platinum Card® towards certain travel purchases, such as flights and hotels, booked through Amex Travel™. “It’s a huge benefit,” he says. On the business side, applying Membership Reward® Points towards travel purchases has helped them meet retailers that are located further away.
Supporting employees with Corporate Cards
As Adirondack Creamery continues to grow, Nasrani has taken part in the American Express® Corporate Program. With its access to digital tools like American Express @ Work – Enrollment Required®⁷, the Corporate Program gives him increased spending visibility, more hours for other tasks, and greater peace of mind.
Nasrani also uses American Express Corporate Cards, which allow him to earn Membership Rewards® points, set spending limits, and monitor transactions in real-time.
“We use the Corporate Cards mostly for employees who have significant expenses,” Nasrani explains. “It’s fantastic because their expense information comes in under one bucket we can access.”
A Business Line of Credit for cash flow management
Like many companies, Adirondack Creamery sometimes faces a timing delay between expenses and incoming payments. Their business’s dairy farmers and suppliers require weekly payments, while large retail customers can traditionally operate on longer payment terms. That’s where the American Express® Business Line of Credit helps bridge the gap.
“It’s a perfect tool for us,” Nasrani says. “Basic working capital to help cover gaps. We use our available line to help pay farms and dairies directly.”
Beyond daily operations, the Business Line of Credit also helps support Adirondack Creamery’s growth, providing upfront capital for product development and packaging investments. “Having that funding available for expenses and marketing has been a great opportunity,” Nasrani adds.
A streamlined financial toolkit
Recently, Nasrani has been excited about his new American Express® Business Checking account and how seamlessly it integrates with other Amex business products, including American Express Business Blueprint™. This centralized dashboard consolidates his linked banking, Business and Corporate Cards, and Business Line of Credit, giving him a clearer picture of his company’s cash flow.
“Being able to access our tools in one place makes a major difference,” Nasrani says.
From humble beginnings, Nasrani has carried Adirondack Creamery to peak success. And with American Express backing him on that journey, he has the financial scoop to help him keep the business growing – without ever melting under the pressure.
Story Footnotes
¹ Application and approval required.
² We are currently accepting applications from eligible U.S. businesses. Not all applicants will be approved for a Business Checking account. To learn more about Business Checking, including eligibility, visit https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/checking/
³American Express® Business Line of Credit offers access to a commercial line of credit ranging from $2,000 to $250,000; however, you may be eligible for a larger line of credit based on our evaluation of your business. Each draw on the line of credit will result in either a separate installment loan or a single repayment loan. All loans are subject to credit approval and are secured by business assets. Every loan requires a personal guarantee. For single repayment loans, we charge a total loan fee that ranges from 0.95%-1.80% of the amount you borrow for 1-month loans, 1.90%-3.75% for 2-month loans, and 2.85%-6.05% for 3- month loans. Single repayment loans incur a loan fee at origination and the principal and total loan fee are due and payable at loan maturity. There are no required monthly repayments for a single repayment loan. Repaying a single repayment loan early will not reduce the loan fee we charge you. For installment loans, we charge a total loan fee that ranges from 3-9% of the amount you borrow for 6-month loans, 6-18% for 12-month loans, 9-27% for 18-month loans, and 12-18% for 24-month loans. Installment loans incur a portion of the total loan fee for each month you have an outstanding balance. If you repay the total of the principal of an installment loan early, you will not be required to pay loan fees that have not posted for subsequent months. For each loan that you take, you will see the applicable loan fee before you take the loan. Once you take the loan, the loan fees that apply to that loan do not change. We reserve the right to change the loan fees that we offer you for new loans at any time. American Express reserves the right to offer promotions to reduce or waive loan fees from time to time. Not all customers will be eligible for the lowest loan fee. Not all loan term lengths are available to all customers. Eligibility is based on creditworthiness and other factors. Not all industries are eligible for American Express® Business Line of Credit. Pricing and line of credit decisions are based on the overall financial profile of you and your business, including history with American Express and other financial institutions, credit history, and other factors. Lines of credit are subject to periodic review and may change or be suspended, accompanied with or without an account closure. Late fees may be assessed. Loans are issued by American Express National Bank.
Single repayment loans may become available to eligible new and existing Business Line of Credit customers at different times.
⁴ American Express Business Blueprint™ is the small business digital experience that allows a customer to view on one digital dashboard summary account information for the following American Express small business products: American Express® Business Cards, American Express® Business Line of Credit, and American Express® Business Checking. The customer can also choose to link their third-party issued business bank accounts and business credit cards to Business Blueprint. Not all third party accounts or cards can be connected to Business Blueprint. Business Blueprint allows the customer to view data insights and track their business cash flow and expenses by viewing reports that American Express prepares using the customer’s linked account information. Business Blueprint provides a 30-day bank account balance projection, using the daily balances from the customer’s linked bank accounts from the last 90 days. To be used in the account balance projection, the customer’s bank account must have at least 90 days of data available. While the cash flow management service from Business Blueprint is currently free, each of the business products from American Express that are visible in Business Blueprint has its own fees, eligibility criteria, application process and approval requirements. The Business Blueprint service (including any data insights provided to the customer) does not constitute legal, tax, financial or accounting advice, and is not a substitute for obtaining competent personalized advice from a licensed professional. You should seek professional advice before making any decision that could affect the financial health of your business. American Express makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of the reports, projections, data or account information that are available to the customer from Business Blueprint.
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⁵Enrollment in the Membership Rewards ® program is required. The Corporate Green Card and the Global Dollar Card - American Express® Corporate Card is charged a $55 annual enrollment fee. A program fee is not applied for the Corporate Gold Card, Corporate Platinum Card®, Global Dollar Card - American Express® Corporate Platinum Card, and Global Dollar Card - American Express® Corporate Executive Gold Card. Some Corporate Cards are not eligible for enrollment. For a full list of eligible Corporate Cards, please see the full Membership Rewards Terms and Conditions. Card Member eligibility for enrollment is based upon the company’s participation in the Membership Rewards program. Get one Membership Rewards point for every dollar of eligible purchases charged on enrolled Corporate Green Cards, Corporate Gold Cards, and Corporate Platinum Cards®. Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents.
Terms and Conditions for the Membership Rewards® program apply. Visit membershiprewards.com/terms for more information. Participating partners and available rewards are subject to change without notice.
The value of Membership Rewards points varies according to how you choose to use them. To learn more, go to www.membershiprewards.com/pointsinfo.
⁶Enrollment in the Corporate Membership Rewards program is required. Only the American Express® Corporate Green Card, American Express® Corporate Gold Card, and Corporate Platinum Card® from American Express are eligible to enroll in the Corporate Membership Rewards program. The Program Administrator is charged a $90 annual enrollment fee for each enrolled Corporate Green Card. A program fee is not applied for the Corporate Gold Card and Corporate Platinum Card®. Get one Corporate Membership Rewards point for every dollar of eligible purchases charged on enrolled American Express ® Corporate Cards. Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. If the Corporate Card Member is transferring from an existing Membership Rewards program to the Corporate Membership Rewards program, the Card Member will have 30 days to use any existing Membership Rewards points before they are forfeited.
The redemption value of Corporate Membership Rewards points varies according to how you choose to use them.
For the full terms and conditions for the Corporate Membership Rewards® program please visit americanexpress.com/corporatemrterms for more information. Participating Corporate Membership Rewards partners, available rewards, and point levels are subject to change without notice.
⁷ Use of American Express @ Work ® is restricted to employees, contractors and/or agents that the Company, and its representatives designate for the sole purpose of performing online account queries and maintenance, including accessing and/or creating reports relating to the Company's American Express® Corporate Card programs. @ Work is available to all companies with an American Express Corporate Card program.
Enrollment is required. To enroll in @ Work please contact your American Express Representative or call 1-888-800-8564.