Richmond ice cream company Nightingale expanding into Harris Teeter, Whole Foods stores

Local company Nightingale recently rolled out its ice cream sandwiches at Harris Teeter, with plans to expand into Whole Foods stores next year. (Images courtesy Nightingale)

A Richmond-based ice cream company continues to expand its retail footprint.

Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches announced this week that its frozen treats are now available in Harris Teeter stores, ahead of plans to hit the shelves of Whole Foods locations along the East Coast early next year.

Four-packs of Nightingale’s Chomp product, which is a half-sized version of its original ice cream sandwich, are in 250 Harris Teeter stores across Virginia, the Carolinas, Maryland, Delaware, D.C., Georgia and Florida.

Nightingale CEO Hannah Pollack said the company targeted Harris Teeter for its customer base and geographic footprint in the Southeastern United States.

“It’s an upscale retailer and that’s who we target for our product,” Pollack said. “We didn’t have as much distribution in the Southeast area, so this was a target for us to expand our footprint.”

Harris Teeter started to sell Nightingale treats earlier this month. The grocery chain carries Nightingale’s Chocolate Blackout, Cookie Monster and Strawberry Shortcake flavors.

The move into Harris Teeter stores is expected to be followed by a mid-January expansion into about 200 Whole Foods locations along the East Coast.

“We are clean label, non-GMO, no artificial ingredients, and we think (our products are) a good fit for their stores,” Pollack said.

Whole Foods locations are expected to offer eight flavors of Chomp sandwiches in single-serving packs.

Big-name chains aren’t the only places where Nightingale is expanding. Earlier this year the company introduced both the Chomp and full-sized sandwiches at West Coast grocery store chains Metropolitan Market, Nugget Markets and Bristol Farms.

Nightingale’s Chomp product is a half-sized version of its full-sized ice cream sandwich.

The Harris Teeter and Whole Foods deals stand to fuel the growth of Nightingale’s Chomp product, which was created in 2020 and rolled out into stores in 2022.

Pollack said the smaller treats, which are outselling the full-sized ice cream sandwiches, have proven popular among customers who want something sweet but are also conscious about their health.

“The (full-sized) Nightingale line is a meal, it’s a big boy,” she said. “I think right now customers are looking for the best bite they can have but also within the restrictions of their diet.”

Nightingale suggests that retailers sell its four-pack Chomps at $6-$7, Chomp single-serves at $2-$3 and full-sized sandwiches at $4-$5.

Nightingale is now in about 3,000 retail locations across multiple states, according to a company spokeswoman. In the Richmond area, Nightingale ice cream sandwiches can be found at Stella’s Grocery, Shields Market and Supper Club as well as local outposts of large chains, according to the company website.

Nightingale produces its ice cream sandwiches in a 20,000-square-foot facility it leases from Hatch, a food-and-beverage incubator in South Richmond. Nightingale makes 50,000 ice cream sandwiches per day and plans to double its production next year, Pollack said.

The company, which Pollack founded with husband Xavier Meers in 2016, has about 70 employees. Pollack said the company is looking to increase its ranks as it grows. She said it has built out its team this year with such high-level hires as a CFO and vice presidents overseeing retail sales, operations and other facets of the business.

“We all wore a lot of hats in the past. Now we’ve been able to really expand the team and have specific hires,” Pollack said.