Zeds Real Fruit Ice Cream, the Austin concept known for blending vanilla ice cream with frozen fruit into New Zealand-style soft serve, is opening its first San Antonio shop at The Collection shopping center at 7959 Broadway. It is the mini chain's latest expansion beyond its Central Texas roots, bringing the brand's signature blended treats to the Alamo Heights trade area for the first time.
According to CultureMap San Antonio, Zeds started as a Portland, Oregon food truck before friends Caleb Schmidt and Matt Porter got hooked on the concept after a 2015 trip to New Zealand, where they were inspired by vanilla ice cream blended with frozen fruit. Schmidt and Porter later booked it to Austin in 2021, opening Zeds' first brick-and-mortar location in a former barbecue joint, the same report notes.
Ownership changed hands in 2022, when Mack Brown and TJ Brogan took over the company and shifted its operations from Oregon to Texas, according to the same account. Since then, the concept has expanded to three locations, with a San Antonio shop set to add another location for the brand.
How the Blended Soft Serve Comes Together
Each serving at Zeds is made using a specialized Little Jem machine that blends the ice cream base and mix-ins together in under a minute, the outlet reports. The Austin-based company crafts each serving on the spot by blending fresh, ripe fruits with a creamy vanilla ice cream base, according to statesman.com. Customers can finish their order with drizzles like honey, coconut cream, or peanut butter, then top it off with streusel, buñuelo crumbs, or gummy bears, per CultureMap's reporting.
Zeds' original Austin location also offers beer, wine, and coffee, the report notes, though it's unclear whether that full menu will carry over to the Broadway spot. A city filing reviewed by the outlet indicates Zeds plans to start work on its San Antonio space in December, though the company has not publicly announced an opening date and did not return a request for more information, CultureMap reports.
Alamo Heights Keeps Drawing New Names
The Zeds filing lands amid a broader surge of interest in the Alamo Heights area, which is attracting a wave of attention from both inside and outside the state, per the same report. Upcoming additions to the area include Jack & Harry's and Hudson House from Dallas-based Vandelay Hospitality Group, Los Tios from Houston's Adair Concepts, and Connecticut chain PopUp Bagels, the outlet notes. Swedish Hill also plans to open a San Antonio café, according to the report.
The Collection shopping center itself changed hands at the end of 2024, and its new ownership has ambitious plans to further elevate the unique architecture and shopping experience, according to shopcompanies.com, which describes the center as a premier retail and lifestyle destination serving the affluent Alamo Heights trade area and surrounding neighborhoods. Back in Austin, Zeds has kept growing too, with locations now at 1814 Harvey St. and 2727 Exposition Blvd. #128 in Tarrytown, plus a third spot that opened in West Lake Hills at 3736 Bee Caves Road, Suite 8, according to the Statesman's reporting. With a San Antonio shop planned, the brand is set to move beyond its Austin-area locations.
