Blue Bell now available in Albuquerque and Santa Fe

BRENHAM - Beginning on March 1, residents of the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area will get their first taste of “the best ice cream in the country,” Blue Bell Ice Cream from the little town of Brenham, Texas. Blue Bell is the number-three selling branded ice cream in the U.S. – despite the fact that it is only sold in parts of 19 states.

Blue Bell products will be sold at Albertsons, John Brooks Stores, Sunflower Farmer’s Markets, selected Valero Corner Stores, Pro’s Ranch Market, and other grocery stores, drugstores and convenience stores. Blue Bell Ice Cream is also featured at all Carrabba’s and Outback Steakhouse restaurants.

Blue Bell Ice Cream, Light Ice Cream, Sherbet, Frozen Yogurt, No Sugar Added Blue Bell, Blue Bell Frozen Snacks and all other products in a 250-product lineup will be distributed directly to supermarkets and food stores in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area in Blue Bell trucks. Blue Bell’s direct store delivery program means that no one other than a Blue Bell employee handles the product from the time it is made until it reaches the grocery shelf. This is one of the ways that Blue Bell ensures that consumers get the freshest possible ice cream.

Blue Bell is opening a transfer station in leased space at 2350 Aztec Northwest in Albuquerque. Local drivers will be hired to serve between 750,000 and 1 million potential customers who will be added to the Blue Bell market area between Roswell and Santa Fe.

Eventually, Blue Bell will purchase land in Albuquerque and build its own transfer station, using a modular format that can easily be converted into a full-fledged branch or distribution center as Blue Bell consumption in the area grows. Micheal Reasner, territory and operations manager for the El Paso branch of Blue Bell, is relocating to Albuquerque to supervise the transfer station.

The nearest Blue Bell branch office to Albuquerque is the El Paso branch, 250 miles away. The Albuquerque transfer station will be used to facilitate transport of ice cream – a highly perishable product – to Albuquerque/Santa Fe consumers while keeping it as fresh as possible.

According to ACNielsen SCANTRACK data for the 52-week period ending September 5, 2009, Blue Bell currently holds a 58% market share of ice cream sold in supermarkets in Houston, 57% in Dallas/Fort Worth, 38% in San Antonio/Austin, 55% in New Orleans/Mobile, 41% in Oklahoma City/Tulsa and 34% in Birmingham/Montgomery.

“Blue Bell Ice Cream has had an enthusiastic reception across the South, Southwest and Midwest,” says Melvin Ziegenbein, vice president of sales and marketing for Blue Bell. “After many requests from consumers and grocery stores, we are delighted to bring Blue Bell to the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area.”

Blue Bell Creameries, known as “the Little Creamery in Brenham,” to ice cream lovers, was founded in 1907 as the Brenham Creamery Company in a town of about 13,000 people located 70 miles northwest of Houston amidst the rolling hills of Central Texas.

The Brenham Creamery was originally founded to make butter from the excess cream produced by local farmers. Ice cream was added to the product line in 1911, produced at the rate of two gallons a day hand-cranked in a wooden tub filled with ice. In 1930, the name of the company was changed to “Blue Bell” after the favorite Texas wildflower of the company’s manager. Not to be confused with the Texas state flower the bluebonnet, which blooms in early spring, the blue bell blooms in the heat of the summer, just when ice cream is most popular.

Blue Bell has produced many innovative products over the years, including the original “Cookies ‘n Cream,” and other creative new flavors like “Cake and Ice Cream,” new to the Blue Bell lineup this year. Cake and Ice Cream is a creamy vanilla ice cream with chocolate sprinkles, chocolate-coated pieces of cake and a chocolate frosting swirl.

The most popular Blue Bell flavor year after year, however, is Homemade Vanilla, created in 1969 to taste just like the hand-cranked ice cream folks used to make on the back porch during long summer evenings.

 

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