Salt & Straw, an Oregon-based ice cream shop that opened its first store in 2011, now offers their tasty creations to Valley residents with their first Arizona store, located at Agritopia in Gilbert. The crave-able ice cream shop crafts hand-made, decadent flavors and vegan options for anyone needing a sweet treat.
“My dream to open an ice cream shop started years before we began scooping out of an ice cream cart and eventually opened our first shop,” CEO and co-founder Kim Malek said. “I wanted to create a community gathering space where you could run into your friends and neighbors and share a scoop of ice cream.”
A few years later, Kim cashed in her 401k, maxed out her credit card, and made her dream a reality.
“When I told my cousin, Tyler, about my plan, he went to Goodwill and bought three used ice cream machines and the rest is history,” Kim said.
The pair used their connections with culinary leaders like world-renowned ‘selmelier’ (an expert on the culinary uses of salt) Mark Bitterman to create unbelievable flavors. The name comes from how ice cream was made back in the day: frozen with rock salt and kept cold with straw.
“At Salt & Straw, we use our ice cream as a platform to tell stories of local artisans, seasonality of ingredients, and important social causes. Each rotating monthly series is rooted in this ethos, so we’re constantly innovating and reimagining how to experience ice cream,” Head Ice Cream Innovator and co-founder Tyler said.
In the summer, the shop uses the seasonality of fresh fruit by producing an entire series dedicated to the bounty of berries. For Earth Month, they work with local nonprofits and brands working to reduce food waste to create an Upcycled Foods Series, in which they’ve reduced over 40,000 pounds of food from ending up in landfills to date.
“In addition to our rotating monthly menus, we have a lineup of classics that are available year-round, including favorites like Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons and Salted, Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough that features amber ale brewers malt for a unique sour-sweet umami flavor in both the dough and the fudge,” Tyler said.
With over 40 current locations (and more on the way), Salt & Straw has stolen the hearts of those with a sweet tooth across America.
The Gilbert location offers the shops best sellers like:
• Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons
• Chocolate Gooey Brownie
• Double Fold Vanilla
• Freckled Mint Chocolate Chip (v)
Salt & Straw offers pint delivery and nationwide shipping with a five-pint minimum order. Customers can select five pints for $15 each or indulge in one of the Salt & Straw recommendations: Pints of the Month, The Best Sellers Pack: Classics, or The Best Sellers Pack: Dairy-Free.
The September monthly rotating menu features all things apple and five different flavors: caramel apple sherbet, black currant apple cider, apple cider donuts, apple pie vs. pumpkin pie, and green apple wasabi sorbet.
Salt & Straw has also committed to supporting issues it cares about. The business has numerous charitable partners, including World Central Kitchen, Hot Bread Kitchen, Urban Gleaners, and The Trevor Project.
“We’ve been looking for the perfect place in Arizona for over five years, and we’re thrilled to have finally found it in Agritopia,” Kim said. “We are honored to be located in the community founded by the Johnston family that is rooted deeply in building a gathering space centered on connection, which is also what Salt & Straw is all about when we seek the communities we want to establish ourselves in.”
For now, the duo doesn’t plan to open any shops in Phoenix, but it’s ice cream eating season year-round in Arizona, so keep your fingers crossed! For more information, visit saltandstraw.com.
