Johnson’s Real Ice Cream, the 67-year-old ice cream brand originating in Bexley, has announced plans for a third Central Ohio location set to open in New Albany this spring. Last year, the company created its second location in Dublin. The continued expansion is part of fourth generation family owner Matt Wilcoxon’s vision, who upon taking the lead at Johnson’s “promised to cherish this family heirloom, grow it, and carry it forward for the 5th generation of our family.” The growth includes a new distribution agreement with Giant Eagle’s Columbus stores as well.
Johnson’s Real Ice Cream’s newest location will be at 160 W. Main St. in New Albany, near Pet People and Hudson 29. It’ll boast 40 flavors of ice cream made from locally sourced and hormone-free cream, as well as a variety of milkshakes made with Ohio Proud Farmers’ milk.
While the growth here in Central Ohio is new, Johnson’s is available in more than 400 restaurants and retail stores nationwide, and their Specialty Line, soft-launched in 2017, is available at a range of Columbus markets, including The Hills, Weiland’s, Huffman’s, and Lucky’s. With their new distribution agreement with Giant Eagle, Johnson’s Real Ice Cream will be on the shelves at 22 central Ohio stores, including Lancaster and Heath.
“At Giant Eagle, we’ve been committed to supporting the communities we serve and delivering our customers the highest quality and most delicious offerings for as long as we’ve been in business,” said Jannah Jablonowski, Giant Eagle Spokesperson, in a press release. “Making products like Johnson’s Ice Cream available to our Columbus Giant Eagle shoppers is just one example of how we bring that commitment to life.”
Johnson’s Specialty Line is a collection of the company’s most popular flavors with added twists. It includes One Smart Cookies and Cream, Praline, You’re Nuts, Triple Trouble Vanilla Bean, Rollin ́ in the Cookie Dough, Strawberry Jamboree, and about a dozen others.
More information on Johnson’s Real Ice Cream can be found at johnsonsrealicecream.com.