Life will get a little sweeter when select flavors of Blue Bell hit local shelves Monday and Tuesday.
Brenham and its surrounding areas, including Brazos County, will be the first to receive shipments of Blue Bell ice cream as the company rolls out its production in phases. The restocking comes after a listeria outbreak this past spring led to a national shutdown of the ice creamery.
In a Blue Bell press release, Ricky Dickson, vice president of sales and marketing, said the company has been working to ensure the Blue Bell customers know and love will remain safe to eat.
“Over the past several months we have been working to make our facilities even better, and to ensure that everything we produce is safe, wholesome and of the highest quality for you to enjoy,” Dickson said in the press release.
Representatives at HEB, Kroger and Walmart all confirmed they will restock the ice cream starting on Monday. A Target representative said the company will begin restocking on Tuesday.
Both HEB and Kroger will limit the number of Blue Bell items each customer can buy. HEB will allow customers four Blue Bell items, while Kroger will limit customers to two. Walmart and Target could not confirm if there would be a limit per customer at this time.
Sports management sophomore Kevin Billa said the return is the end of a long ice cream drought.
“Ever since Blue Bell vanished, I stopped eating ice cream,” Billa said. “Now that it’s back, I’m going to buy two half gallons and eat it all. I need my Blue Bell fix.”
Not everyone is excited about the return of the Texas-based brand. Political science freshman Eva Cozart said she hasn’t missed the company’s frozen treats.
“I’ll probably get ridiculed for this, but I’ve been indifferent to the whole situation,” Cozart said. “I’ve always found Blue Bell to be sub-par ice cream. It’s not creamy enough — too much air in it.”
According to Blue Bell’s official website, there will be a five-phase plan to reintegrate its ice cream back into full production. Aside from the initial roll-out date, no other phases of Blue Bell’s return have been announced.
In the weeks since the announcement, Blue Bell has also revealed on its official Twitter, @ILoveBlueBell, the four flavors that will be making the return: Homemade Vanilla, Dutch Chocolate, Cookies ‘n Cream and The Great Divide.
Brazos County is included in the limited list of first-phase regions. In the four remaining phases of reintegration, Blue Bell will gradually make its way back to shelves across the South and Southeast.
For some, Blue Bell’s hiatus provided an opportunity to try new ice cream brands.
Telecommunication media studies junior Paige Oliver said she’s moved on and found a new favorite brand.
“Ben and Jerry’s for life,” Oliver said.
Phase one: Brenham and surrounding counties
Phase two: North central Texas and southern Oklahoma
Phase three: Southwest Texas and central Oklahoma
Phase four: The majority of Texas and southern Louisiana
Phase five: Alabama, Florida, northern Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as parts of Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia
Information provided by cdn.bluebell.com
