FROM FOREST TO FREEZER: JENI'S DEBUTS APPALACHIAN ACORN PIE AFTER FIVE YEARS OF INNOVATION

Jeni's transforms foraged Ohio oak acorns into a warm, nutty limited-edition ice cream after building an entirely new supply chain from the ground up

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Jeni's Ice Creams releases Appalachian Acorn Pie, a new limited-edition fall flavor, half a decade in the making, crafted with flour milled from foraged Ohio oak acorns, available online and in Jeni's scoop shops.

The new flavor is a testament to the lengths Jeni's will go when they get curious about something. About five years ago, the Jeni's R&D team asked what felt like an innocuous question: "Would it be possible to make an ice cream with acorns?"

The answer seemed simple enough. Acorns are abundant in the U.S. and have historically been a food source for indigenous Americans. But acorns also aren't commercially regulated or distributed — and so Jeni's started by looking to international sources.

"The problem was, those early international sources for acorn flour gave us a first taste of what this ice cream could be, which was so fragrant and nutty and beautiful. It was unlike anything I'd ever eaten, but also felt wildly familiar," recalls Beth Stallings, Senior Director of Innovation at Jeni's. "From that moment, we knew we had to find a way to make this flavor, whatever it took. And it took a lot of amazing work."

After those international sources fell through, the team realized if they were going to make an acorn ice cream, they would need to build their own supply chain from the ground up — the first time the team would have to do this.

Jeni's partnered with Route 9 Action Network, an agricultural cooperative based in Carroll County, Ohio. Their main crop is chestnuts, but they were interested in expanding. So, Jeni's signed multiple grant letters to help Route 9 grow their business so that they could forage and process the acorns needed for this ice cream. This included washing and leaching the tannins from the acorns so they would be safe to consume.

From there, the acorns went to a nearby Amish farm to be milled into flour. This required a few extra layers of communication — Jeni's had to use snail mail, a community phone, and in-person visits to stay in contact. All to achieve the end result: beautiful, fragrant, Appalachian grown and milled acorn flour that Jeni's could fold into cream.

After five years of foraging, milling, and testing, Jeni's is releasing a very limited supply of Appalachian Acorn Pie, an acorn ice cream with a graham cracker swirl. It's nutty and sweet — somewhere in the realm of hazelnut, coconut, and chestnut. The limited-time flavor launches October 1 at Jenis.com and in Jeni's scoop shops nationwide, while supplies last.

About Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams:
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is an American ice cream company devoted to making the finest ice creams the world has ever known. Founded in 2002 by James Beard Award-winning ice cream maker Jeni Britton, Jeni's has emerged over the past 20 years as the new standard by which all other ice creams are judged. Jeni's continues to make one-of-a-kind flavors with Direct Trade ingredients and super fresh milk from family dairy farms. Today, Jeni's is a Certified B Corporation known for its social, environmental, and business leadership with more than 90 scoop shops, an online shop at jenis.com, and distribution in top grocery stores across the country. For more information, visit jenis.com 

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SOURCE Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams