Pretty Cool Ice Cream is gearing up for a serious glow-up. The Logan Square favorite is shifting its production into a 5,000-square-foot facility in Irving Park, a move expected to roughly triple output and set the brand up to ship its bars nationwide starting this summer.
According to Block Club Chicago, the new production hub at 3929 N. Central Park Ave, a former car wash, will house both baking and freezing operations and serve as the base for a Taste of Chicago e-commerce launch. Founder Dana Cree told the outlet, "We are busting at the seams at Logan Square" as the team prepares to move its back-of-house work out of the neighborhood shop.
Pretty Cool launched in 2018, founded by pastry chef Dana Cree and Bang Bang Pie founder Michael Ciapciak. The company still lists its Logan Square store at 2353 N. California Ave as its main shop on the Pretty Cool Ice Cream site, which showcases hand-dipped novelty bars and a rotating flavor lineup that has helped build a devoted local following.
Production Jump And Partnerships
As reported by Block Club Chicago, all production is set to move to the Irving Park facility so Pretty Cool can triple its capacity. The company expects to bring on additional seasonal staff and has already closed its Lincoln Park retail shop, which shuttered last October.
The outlet notes that Pretty Cool has sold roughly 1.5 million pops and developed more than 300 flavors while lining up collaborations, including a shipping-ready project with Eli's Cheesecake. Co-founder Michael Ciapciak told Block Club, "We definitely want to bring that fine-dining, world-class, James Beard-nominated quality to a $5 ice cream bar."
How Shipping Will Work
The company plans to send its frozen bars in insulated packaging packed with dry ice, a standard setup for shipping frozen desserts nationwide. Vendors on the Taste of Chicago platform already use this approach; for instance, Eli's Cheesecake details dry-ice packaging and protective containers in its shipping guidelines.
Pretty Cool says customers will be able to place orders through the Taste of Chicago site or directly via the company's own website once shipping launches in early summer. Even as production moves, the Logan Square scoop shop is set to remain the neighborhood hangout and retail anchor.
The expansion comes after a run of high-profile team-ups, including a Porsche collaboration that the company promoted in a 2022 press release on GlobeNewswire, signaling that Pretty Cool is no stranger to larger branded product runs.
