It may be winter in Humboldt, but not even the cold can stop the screams for ice cream.
Jersey Scoops is a new shop out in Loleta, a small community that is in the middle of rejuvenating itself.
“We have a small family dairy that has been in operation for over a 100 years in ferndale and we the opportunity to turn into ice cream,” owner Thomas Nicholson Stratton said.
Jersey Scoops uses farm-fresh ingredients to deliver these sweet treats. All of the ingredients are straight from the dairy and the Foggy Bottoms Boys’ farm.
It’s then churned and turned in-house to give customers the best scoop they can get.
“There’s no other product here that’s ice cream that’s been able to do that’s at a micro creamery level, so we’re able to make multiple flavors that we like and ready to serve directly,” Nicholson Stratton said.
Flavors include classics such as chocolate, strawberry, and cookies n’ cream. More unique include Danish Butter Cookie, hazelnut flavor Nutty Ella, and PB&J.
The shop also sells other Foggy Bottoms Boys products and local goodies from fellow Humboldt businesses. It’s all part of the rejuvenation of the Loleta community.
“My friend Brenda and I, we decided three years ago we were gonna make a commitment to Loleta. And that commitment meant whatever it took to bring the town back to life in a way that it was just ten years ago,” Nicholson Stratton said.
Brenda Juarez serves as president of the Loleta Chamber of Commerce alongside Thomas who acts as vice president.
Juarez sees the shop as a positive step for the community as a whole.
“For so much time, we haven’t had many businesses open and people coming down to the park with their family,” Juarez said. “This has given, even in its soft opening, has given us the opportunity to see families walking down from their home, buying an ice cream and then going to the park. It’s created community and movement.”
She hopes that the new business can encourage the students she works with Loleta Community School to see the town in a positive light.
“This empowers our students to want to be involved and get these business owners and how they came up with the idea for their business,” Juarez said. “I just think that this all ties in and let’s us show youth what is possible.”
The grand opening of Jersey Scoops will be a weekend-long celebration is from Friday, Jan. 26th to 28th from 11 a.m. To 6 p.m.
There will be live music, axe throwing, food vendors and more for the whole community to enjoy.
