Herrell's Ice Cream facts for kids
Herrell's Ice Cream
in Northampton, Massachusetts |
|
| Franchises, Wholesale (hot fudge) | |
| Industry | Frozen Food Industry |
| Founded | 1980; Northampton, Massachusetts |
| Headquarters | |
|
Area served
|
Stores in:
|
| Products | Desserts, mainly ice cream |
Herrell's Ice Cream is a famous chain of ice cream stores. You can find them in Massachusetts and New York. They are known for making over 400 different flavors of ice cream right in their stores.
Contents
History of Herrell's Ice Cream
How Steve's Ice Cream Started
The story of Herrell's Ice Cream began in 1973. A man named Steve Herrell opened a place called Steve's Ice Cream. This was in Somerville, Massachusetts. Steve found a special way to make ice cream. He changed a freezer to create ice cream that was super rich and creamy. It also had very little air in it.
Steve learned about the Heath candy bar in the late 1960s. He thought it would be amazing mixed into ice cream. When he opened his store, he did something new. Instead of having ice cream with flavors already mixed in, like chocolate chip, he let customers choose. His staff would mix fresh ice cream with candies or other treats. These additions became known as mix-ins. People loved these custom-made flavors. Steve sold out of ice cream on his very first day! His store quickly became very popular.
Steve Herrell sold his company in 1977. The new owner was Joe Crugnale. He later started the Bertucci's restaurant chain.
The Birth of Herrell's Ice Cream
After selling Steve's Ice Cream, Steve Herrell moved to Northampton, Massachusetts. For three years, he could not open another ice cream shop. This was part of the agreement when he sold his first business.
In 1980, after this time was over, he opened Herrell's Ice Cream. He used all the same special recipes and methods from his first store. Steve Herrell retired in 2014. Today, Judy Herrell owns and manages Herrell's Ice Cream.
Herrell's Store Locations
The main Herrell's store and its headquarters are in Northampton, Massachusetts. This is like their home base. In 1982, another store opened in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. However, this location is now closed.
A store also opened in 1996 at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. This museum is in North Adams, Massachusetts. The newest Herrell's store opened in 2008. You can find it in Huntington, New York.
Over the years, some Herrell's franchise stores have closed. For example, the Harvard Square location closed in 2009. Another store in Allston, Massachusetts also closed around that time. These changes happened due to different ideas about how the franchise business should be run.
What People Think About Herrell's
Many people and news groups have praised Herrell's Ice Cream.
- USA Today once said Herrell's was the second-best ice cream in the entire nation.
- Newsweek magazine talked about Herrell's "uncompromising quality." They even called it "a mecca for ice cream lovers." A "mecca" is a place that many people want to visit.
- In 2000, the famous chef Julia Child tasted Herrell's ice cream. She simply called it "delicious."
