la Frontera In the News

Austin American-Statesman

January 27, 2004

Ben & Jerry's ice cream coming to Round Rock
Legendary Vermont company opening first store in Texas

by Camille Wheeler, American-Statesman Staff

ROUND ROCK -- This scoop just in: Texas' first Ben & Jerry's ice cream store will open in April at Round Rock's La Frontera shopping center.

And the legendary Vermont-based company, founded 26 years ago by childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, plans to open three more shops in the Austin area. "Texas has been on our radar," said spokeswoman Chrystie Heimert, explaining that the company also plans to open stores in Houston and San Antonio. It's a big change for the company, which has a worldwide presence but until now has concentrated nationally on the East and West coasts.

The Round Rock store will be in the Vintage Plaza building at the northwest corner of Texas 45 and La Frontera Boulevard, said La Frontera spokesman Don Martin.

It's the first dip into the ice cream business for the store's owners, Austinites Ki Shin, 30, and Derek Su, 33. They created their company, D2K Ventures, just to land a Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc. franchise, Shin said. "We were looking for a new hip center we could help promote," Shin said of La Frontera.

Shin and Su also will own two of the Austin ice cream shops and are close to signing a lease for the first one at MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) and Duval Road, Shin said. The second store might be in West Lake Hills or Central or South Austin, he said.

Ben & Jerry's is negotiating with LifeWorks, a nonprofit counseling center, about opening a third store in Austin, with all profits going to LifeWorks.

Ben & Jerry's immediately will challenge Amy's Ice Cream, a wildly popular franchise that Amy Simmons opened 20 years ago. Simmons owns 11 Texas stores: eight in Austin, one in San Antonio and two in Houston, including one opening Friday.

"I have mixed feelings. It frightens you because the economy is rough," Simmons said. "On the other hand, I really believe in competition. You can get lazy, and I love things that give me a shot in the arm. What is it that we do well, and what we can do better?"

North Austinite Lisa Schwarzwald 32, knows what Ben & Jerry's does well. She fell in love with all their flavors, especially Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, when she was a student at Brandeis University, in Waltham, Mass. But this is tough. Since moving to Texas, she's become an Amy's fan. "I'm feeling a little torn," she said, with a sigh.

"I'm going to have to give Ben & Jerry's a fair shot," Schwarzwald said. "They're going to have to impress me again."