Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop moves closer to opening new Asheville location

Mackensy Lunsford | The Citizen-Times

Show Caption Hide Caption Chill out: Find ice cream in Asheville Even though it is fall, the time is still right for eating frozen treats.

ASHEVILLE - A Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop slated for downtown Asheville should open in August, a representative for the 40-year-old ice cream company said Thursday.

Though the ice cream is available locally, this will be the first Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop to open in the area.

Ben & Jerry's has more than 230 shops in the United States and 345 outside the country, most of which are franchise locations.

This one will be at 19 Haywood St., between Urban Outfitters and the AdLib clothing store.

According to the company, there are a number of Ben & Jerry’s flavors only found at Scoop Shops, including Bourbon Brown Butter and Lemonade Sorbet.

Franchisee Julie Williams, who lives in Waynesville, has two other Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops, in Sevierville and Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Through Ben & Jerry's representative Lindsay Bumps, Williams said Asheville is "very similar to Ben & Jerry’s hometown of Burlington, Vermont. Both are very welcoming communities, with the goal to make a positive impact."

Bumps said Williams "has worked closely with local organizations in her shop communities, one of which is Keep Sevier Green, where her scoopers and managers have worked to improve two local playgrounds."

Ben & Jerry's releases 3 lower-calorie cookie-inspired flavors The trio of Moo-phoria treats only contain less than half the fat of a regular pint.

Founded as a small shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Ben & Jerry's is known for various flavors including the jam band-themed Cherry Garcia and Phish Food.

The company also has a history of supporting popular progressive causes.

In 2011, the Ben & Jerry’s board of directors issued a statement of solidarity with Occupy Wall Street protesters, scooping ice cream in Zucotti Park on several occasions for Occupiers.

In 2013, the company came out in support of mandatory GMO labeling legislation, committing also to the transition of all ingredients to be fully sourced non-GMO.

Asheville has several locally driven ice cream shops, including the Hop Ice Cream Cafe, Frostbite Ice Cream and Ultimate Ice Cream. There's also Sunshine Sammies, which operates a downtown ice cream store.

The French Broad Chocolate Lounge has also begun to focus more on its house-made ice cream.

This will not be the first chain ice cream shop to set up in downtown Asheville; Marble Slab Creamery has a presence on Biltmore Avenue.