"We have been in a growth mode in Indiana for the past six years. This partnership with Ricker's helps to strengthen our visibility in the state," said Luconda Dager, president of Velvet Ice Cream. "We recently opened a new distribution center in Fort [image-nocss] Wayne to help facilitate this growth."
Utica, Ohio-based Velvet Ice Cream continues to carve out a bigger and bigger scoop of the market expanding its operations in northern Ohio and Indiana, added a report by The Newark Advocate.
Along with Ricker's, the company recently announced partnerships with Acme Fresh Market and Rite Aid Pharmacy as part of its plan to become the premier ice cream brand in the Midwest.
The company's products now also appear in 231 Rite Aid drug stores in Ohio and Indiana and 16 independent Acme grocery stores in Akron, Canton and Cleveland, Ohio.
"In the past, we have seen passive growth, but we are now on a more aggressive path," Dager, told the newspaper. "We are increasing our private-label business and extending our brand beyond what has traditionally been our comfort zone."
The company announced last fall it landed the contract to be the official ice cream of Ohio State University. It also is the official ice cream of the Ohio State Fair, Columbus Clippers, Columbus Zoo and Toledo Speedway.
Each year, Velvet produces more than five million gallons of ice cream, which can be found in freezer cases throughout the Midwest and Florida. The historic Ye Olde' Mill, which houses the company headquarters, an ice cream museum and restaurant, attracts more than 150,000 visitors a year, said the report.
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