This NC shop’s vanilla ice cream named one of the best in the country

Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream just opened in July, but already has earned national attention.

The National Ice Cream Retailers Association awarded Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream’s French Vanilla a second place red ribbon at its conference earlier this month, according to news release.

It received 32.5 points out of 35, half a point away from a blue ribbon.

Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream opened its brick-and-mortar store in the Cary Park Town Center in July. The shop offers 20 flavor – including blueberry cobbler, lemon basil sorbet and salted caramel – and a rotating vegan option made with coconut milk.

But it was traditional vanilla that won the ice cream shop accolades.

Andia’s sent a sample of its French Vanilla ice cream on dry ice in September to the University of Minnesota, where dairy science experts judged entries based on texture, color, butterfat, bacterial counts and mouth feel.

“Most ice cream experts always test a brand’s vanilla ice cream as it is the foundation for all other flavors,” co-owner Andia Xouris said in a news release. “With vanilla, you cannot mask your quality. It is as pure as any ice cream flavor can be.”

The entries were not labeled with the compnay names, but instead identified by a number.

The National Ice Cream Retailers Association includes 400 members of ice cream shop owners across the country.

Andia and George Xouris opened Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream in 2014 as the Freezing Pointe, an ice cream catering business. They later changed the name to reflect the small, family-made identity of the business.

Andia’s is 10120 Green Level Church Road #208, Cary.

This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 6:09 PM with the headline "This NC shop’s vanilla ice cream named one of the best in the country."