More than a year after its closing, Blue Bell Creameries will be reopening its Tucson distribution center and returning the frozen treat to store shelves beginning March 6, the company announced Wednesday.

In April 2015, the company issued a nationwide recall of all products, after two batches of ice cream tested positive for Listeria. A month later, Blue Bell shuttered its Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama distribution centers after tests revealed that the contamination went back two years.

Blue Bell products returned to stores in Texas and Alabama by September 2015, and the Oklahoma distribution facility was also reopened.

“It has always been our goal to return to Arizona, and we believe that we are in a great position to expand our sales territory next year,” Ricky Dickson, vice president of sales and marketing for Blue Bell, wrote in a news release.

The company has already started hiring for all three Arizona centers, the other two located in Phoenix and Apache Junction, and will continue to add more employees as needed, Dickson said.

The store locations that will be stocking the products haven't been released yet, but the company said that fans can expect to find it in most major supermarkets and drug stores.

Contact reporter Caitlin Schmidt at cschmidt@tucson.com or 573-4191 Follow @caitlincschmidt



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