Nightingale ice cream expansion to add 166 jobs

Another scoop? Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches is expanding its ice cream manufacturing in Richmond.

The Richmond company is investing $5.8 million to move to a new facility in the city and expects to create 166 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday.

Established in 2016, the small batch ice cream company has doubled in size year-over-year and has outgrown its current production facility, according to a news release. The cold treat maker’s new approximately 29,000-square-foot location will serve as both a production facility and Nightingale’s corporate headquarters, with about 24,000 square feet dedicated to production. It was built in 1983 and sits on a 5.01-acre lot.

“The opening of Nightingale’s new ice cream production facility is a tremendous win for our commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Not only does it celebrate the spirit of local innovation and entrepreneurship, but it also brings 166 good-paying jobs to hardworking Virginians.”

Husband-and-wife duo Hannah Pollack and Xavier Meers founded Nightingale, which manufactures specialty ice cream sandwiches that include 14% butterfat ice cream but have no artificial ingredients and dyes and are non-GMO. Virginia Business recognized Nightingale as one of 28 majority women-owned businesses in the magazine’s 2025 In the Lead: Best Women-Owned Businesses awards.

Its ice cream sandwiches are sold in more than 5,000 chain and independent grocery stores, including Whole Foods Market, Kroger, The Fresh Market and Harris Teeter.

“What began in the kitchen of a Richmond restaurant has grown into something beyond what we ever imagined,” said Pollack, Nightingale’s co-founder, CEO and president, in a statement. “Receiving this support from the commonwealth is an incredible honor and a powerful vote of confidence in our vision. We’re deeply grateful for the support which will help us accelerate our growth while staying true to our Richmond, Virginia, roots.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the City of Richmond and the Greater Richmond Partnership to secure the project for Virginia. VEDP will support Nightingale’s job creation through the three-year Virginia Jobs Investment Program. VJIP provides cash grant reimbursements for associated human resources costs after a company has had new employees on the payroll for at least 90 days.