Mitchell’s Ice Cream recently celebrated its 26th year in business. After more than two decades, Mitchell’s is a testament to quality service, products, loyal customers and a love for ice cream.
Founded in 1999 in Cleveland by brothers Pete and Mike Mitchell, the company opened its first store in Westlake on Oct. 6, 1999. Since then, Mitchell’s has expanded to 10 locations across the greater Cleveland area, including Rocky River, Strongsville, Westlake, and Shaker Heights.
When Pete and Mike Mitchell first opened Mitchell’s Ice Cream, they were only twenty-two and twenty-seven years old. They had a passion for working together and aimed to create a positive impact on their community. Due to the popularity of the ice cream—which is handcrafted using organic ingredients—the business grew quickly, and more stores were opened. Mitchell’s ice cream is now available for purchase in stores such as Heinen’s and Giant Eagle, as well as other shops throughout the community.
As the brand grew in popularity, the flagship Ohio City location expanded its kitchen to meet the demand. All Mitchell’s ice cream is produced there, which now features a viewing area where customers can watch the ice cream being made and scooped. The shops also offer vegan and dairy-free options to accommodate a wide range of customers.
In October, Mitchell is celebrating its birthday by offering a birthday cake flavor—yellow cake ice cream with rainbow sprinkles and cake pieces. The flavor was first introduced in 2017 to mark the company’s 18th birthday and has since become a beloved annual tradition.
Mitchell’s also offers different seasonal flavors. In spring, options include Lemon White Chocolate Cookie, Lavender Honey, and Geauga Maple Walnut. Summer flavors include Peach, Campfire S’mores, and Lemon sorbet.
More recently, the company released four returning fall flavors: Autumn Caramel Apple, Ohio cider-flavored ice cream with crushed almonds and caramel ribbon; Cuyahoga County Crunch, a chocolate ice cream with salted almond pieces, dark chocolate crunch, and marshmallow ribbon; Pumpkin Spice, featuring roasted pumpkin and seasonal spices; and Vegan Buckeye, a peanut butter flavor with a ribbon of organic dark chocolate fudge. All four flavors truly embody the spirit of fall, offering a feeling of familiarity and comfort that we all know and love.
With 10 locations across the Cleveland area, all stores share one thing in common: they have a powerful impact on the community. Students from neighboring cities like Lakewood and Bay Village are loyal customers at the Rocky River location. After school, you can find students of all ages, and on weekends, dance, music, and theatre groups often stop by after their shows. Kelsie Bable, a loyal customer, said, “You look in there, and there’s a bunch of students from high school and grade school all coming in there after school to hang out and get ice cream, ” highlighting the business’s popularity.
Mitchell’s credits its staff for its community success as its employees work diligently to keep stores clean and organized. “Our team is made up of just wonderfully nice team members. And I think it’s just a natural part of what we do,” said a company representative. Staff members treat every customer with kindness and respect, fostering loyalty. Maddie Ellis, an employee at the Rocky River location, noted, “We have scoop Olympics to ensure uniform scoop sizes.” Employees work hard to make sure that customer satisfaction helps keep patrons returning time and time again.
Mitchell’s Ice Cream continues to serve up community spirit and sweet memories as it celebrates 26 years of business. With new flavors and loyal fans, the company’s future looks just as bright as its famous scoops. Happy birthday, Mitchell’s!
