Monday, March 12, marks the return of Blue Bell Ice Cream to Indiana for the first time since a nationwide listeria scare prompted the company to pull it from store shelves.
“We are glad to be back and excited to be in a position to expand our sales territory,” said Wayne Hugo, vice president, sales and marketing, for Blue Bell.
“Various Blue Bell personnel have spent the past several weeks in Indiana as we prepare for the opening. We are extremely thankful for the warm welcome back from so many of you.”
Blue Bell, based in Texas, reopened its Indianapolis distribution center to make sure ice cream makes it to Indiana cities. Hugo said the center has 25 employees and will bring in staff from other states to help with the opening.
“It could take up to two weeks to deliver our products to every store that is selling Blue Bell,” Hugo said.
Blue Bell ice cream will be distributed to grocery stores around the state, including Meijer, Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, Harvest Market, Safeway and Walmart. You’ll find it in the following cities:
- Bloomington
- Columbus
- Fort Wayne
- Indianapolis
- Kokomo
- Lafayette
- Muncie
- Richmond
- Terre Haute
- West Lafayette
Blue Bell offers more than 40 flavors of ice cream, sherbet and frozen snacks, including light and no sugar added options. The company said its most popular flavor is Homemade Vanilla, which debuted in 1969.
In 2015, the company launched a recall after its products were linked to a listeria outbreak. The recall was the first in the company’s history. The Indiana launch is part of a phased nationwide rollout; Blue Bell is also returning to markets in New Mexico and Kentucky this month.
