Van Leeuwen Ice Cream officially celebrated its first scoop shop in Greenwich on Thursday with an event for local media, followed by a family & friends open house.
The launch marks a return to its roots for co-founders Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen who are Greenwich natives and whose ice cream journey began here 20 years ago when they rented a Good Humor truck and used it to sell ice cream for two summers.
The nationally beloved brand is known for its made-from-scratch dairy and vegan ice creams.
“We love being surrounded by great restaurants here,” said Ben Van Leeuwen during the media event. “There is a lot of pedestrian traffic and the train station is so close.”
Ben added that a bonus for opening on Greenwich Avenue was that the Van Leeuwen operations team from New York City were easily able to get to Greenwich to set up the shop, which is bright and colorful.
The store opens officially on Saturday, Oct 1. Hours on opening day are 12:00pm-11:00pm. In celebration of the launch, the shop will offer $1 scoops of all ice cream on opening day from 12:00pm-4:00pm.
Known for its creative collaborations like BIGFACE Coffee Affogato in partnership with NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler, Van Leeuwen will serve an exclusive limited-edition flavor in Greenwich – they’ve teamed up with local French bakery Raphaël’s to create a flavor inspired by their Canelé pastry.
Hours:
Monday through Friday from 12:00pm to 11:00pm
Saturday and Sunday 11:00am to 11:00pm
Founded in 2008, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream started out of a yellow scoop truck on the streets of NYC by Ben Van Leeuwen, Pete Van Leeuwen and Laura O’Neill. With a mission to make good ice cream from good ingredients that makes you feel good, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream has innovated beyond the original dairy recipe with vegan ice cream and ice cream bars, unique and eclectic flavors, and more. With 33 scoop shops across the country, Van Leeuwen ice cream is also available for purchase in grocery stores and nationwide shipping. To keep up with everything Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, follow the brand on Instagram @vanleeuwenicecream or visit www.vanleeuwenicecream.com.