Andia's Homemade Ice Cream Wins Second Place in National Ice Cream Competition

Photo by Stacey Price Sprenz

The holidays came early for Cary-based ice cream shop, Andia's Homemade Ice Cream! Their French Vanilla ice cream won second place at the National Ice Cream Retailers Association (NICRA) conference this November, a coveted prize among national ice cream shop owners.

The NICRA includes over 400 members of independent ice cream shop owners. Each year the NICRA hosts a competition and awards ice cream shop producers with ribbons for best ice cream flavors. This year marks the first year that Andia's Homemade Ice Cream entered the competition. Their French Vanilla ice cream won a second place red ribbon with 32.5 points out of a perfect 35, just a half point shy of a blue ribbon. Judging was done by an independent expert, the Department Chair Dr. Tonya Schoenfuss of the University of Minnesota's Dairy Science Department.

Andia Xouris, owner of Andia's Homemade Ice Cream, is thrilled about the award for the French Vanilla flavor. She states, "Most ice cream experts always test a brand's vanilla ice cream as it is the foundation for all other flavors. With vanilla, you cannot mask your quality. It is as pure as any ice cream flavor can be."

To enter the competition, Andia's Homemade Ice Cream shipped their French Vanilla ice cream in September on dry ice to the University of Minnesota in order for Dr. Schoenfuss and the team to evaluate all of the entries. The tubs are not labeled with company names, simply by a number to remain anonymous and so that judging can be completely unbiased. The ice cream is judged in many categories including texture, color, butterfat, bacterial counts and mouth feel.

Want to try Andia's Homemade Ice Cream this holiday season?
Visit Andia's Homemade Ice Cream's retail store located at 10120 Green Level Church Road #208, Cary, NC 27519. New ice cream flights are now available and exciting offerings for the holidays include ice cream bon bons, ice cream pies and gift cards. 

About Andia's Homemade Ice Cream
Founded in 2014 as the Freezing Pointe, Andia and George Xouris re-branded their ice cream catering business in 2016 to Andia's Homemade Ice Cream. With a focus on their Greek background and family, Andia's Homemade Ice Cream currently offers premium quality ice cream and sorbet through their catering operation and a retail store, which opened in July 2017 in Cary, NC.