Local ice cream company Isabella’s Ice Cream is undergoing rapid restructuring.
“We’re changing our retail model,” said Kristel Johnson, co-owner at Isabella’s Ice Cream.
While the company recently grew in various markets, they are now focusing more on what they started with — Southern Arizona wholesale, catering, and the ice cream truck. They’ve relocated their base of operations to 960 E. 17th St., where Presta Coffee Roasters also operates. The shared location may result in collaborative events.
The scoop shop — located at 210 N. Fourth Ave. — will close soon based on when the replacement tenant will be able to take over the space. The replacement tenant, Desert Dream Ice Cream, is of no relation to Isabella’s Ice Cream. Additionally, their original plan for a Mercado San Agustin location will not come to fruition.
Instead, the company is expanding with “mini-shops.” Small retail fronts are in the works for the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The respective businesses will handle all on-site management and operations of the storefronts, while Isabella’s will focus on providing the ice cream.
The American Eat Co. location will remain in operation. Furthermore, customers will still be able to find packaged Isabella’s Ice Cream at resorts, the Loft, and local markets where they have been purchasing the ice cream.
For more information, visit isabellasicecream.com.
Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
