Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams launched in 2002. Jeni recalls a line going out the door and down the sidewalk on opening day at The North Market, and says “I knew we were onto something.”
The Ice Cream Explorer.
If you’re from Columbus, OH then you know THE Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Even if you hate ice cream (but why?!) you still know THIS ice cream. Which is one of the reasons we chose to feature them in our inaugural #CBUS10 feature – the first of many posts where we’ll celebrate Columbus-based brands we give a 10-out-of-10.
First an art student at the Ohio State University, and an aspiring perfumer with an intense curiosity about scent, Jeni’s journey into ice cream was unexpected. In fact, having worked in a bakery, ice cream had always been low on her list of dessert priorities. “I liked all desserts but ice cream was on the bottom, right before cookies,” she says. But something happened the night she experimented infusing chocolate ice cream with cayenne pepper oil. The first cold, sugary bite that finished with cayenne heat changed everything. She discovered ice cream was the perfect carrier of scent, allowing her to create a kind of edible perfume that could tell a story. “When I put the essential oil into the ice cream, I had one of those moments you read about – where the sky opened up, and I knew I was going to make ice cream for the rest of my life.”
And so began the adventure of what is now a nationally-acclaimed brand and multi-channel retailer with over 800 employees and national distribution in more than 3000 grocery stores.
*For more of Jeni’s backstory, and some of the brand’s most significant challenges over the last 20 or so years, check out her 2018 interview with Guy Raz on NPR’s How I Built This.
The Recognition.
• Her first first cookbook Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home (2011) is a Wall Street Journal and New York Times best-seller, and won the coveted James Beard Award in 2012.
• Her second cookbook, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Desserts (2014) is praised by Food & Wine Magazine for “improved recipes, new flavors and an abundance of creative pairings.”
• Jeni was awarded an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree from OSU in 2016, is a 2017 Henry Crown Fellow and has been recognized by Fast Company as one of the most creative people in business today.
The Scoop.
• Jeni’s has 16 Scoop Shops nationwide, from Los Angeles to Tampa to Washington D.C. to Chicago (and of course here).
• The names of their flavors are as fun as the ice creams themselves: Watermelon Buttermilk Yogurt, Sweetcream Biscuits & Peach Jam, and Yazoo Sue with Rosemary Bar Nuts (to name a few).
• Speaking of flavors, there are currently 31 to choose from, with multiple dairy-free or gluten-free options. The Brambleberry Crisp and Goat Cheese w/Red Cherries – to die for. Oh, and Gooey Butter Cake and Coffee w/Cream & Sugar (pictured here in their Short North Arts District location).
• They ship locally and nationwide, and pack their ice creams in insulated boxes with dry ice to keep them perfectly frozen while they travel.
• You can join (or gift someone with) their monthly subscription service – The Pint Club. Imagine – a monthly delivery of deliciousness. Where do I sign?!
• Party packs – called Street Treats – are available for your next get-together. Each pack includes twelve 3.6oz servings (complete with a spoon under the lid – brilliant).
• Want to make your employees or clients smile? Take advantage of their corporate gifting program.
• Jeni’s is a Certified B Corporation endorsed by the international nonprofit B Lab as a company that meets rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
• Jeni’s employs a diverse team of people, working with women and minority-owned businesses, and is intentional about choosing the best partners possible to source high-quality ingredients from key agricultural entrepreneurs.
No one else.
Food & Wine Magazine calls Jeni the Ice Cream Maven and says “No one else makes ice cream like Jeni Britton Bauer.” We couldn’t agree more, and we’re glad Columbus, OH is home to this innovative brand and its truly splendid ice creams.
*Connect with Jeni on Instagram, and follow along for more inspiration and ice-cream-exploration.
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Up next? Just a headshot?
