NERDS® Grape Ice Cream and New BABY NERDS™ Topping

The frozen treat destination combines the smallest treat with the biggest sensation for a tangy summer experience

Rita’s is the first company to launch the new BABY NERDS™ as a topping in the quick service restaurant industry

PHILADELPHIA CREAM, July 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard, the world’s largest Italian ice cream concept, is excited to reveal its latest summer flavor in partnership with the wildly popular multi-sensory candy: NERDS^® candy. NERDS grape flavored ice cream will be available for a limited time in all Rita stores from July 8This highly anticipated sweet, crunchy and tangy flavor invites guests to taste nostalgia this summer at Rita’s.

Rita’s, in partnership with NERDS, is also proud to unveil the all-new – NERDS BABIES™ – who will make his very first appearance as an official NERDS^® dessert topping with Rita’s locations across the country on July 8 before its official introduction into the broader fast food sector in spring 2025. Smaller in size than NERDS^® candy, but with just as much flavor, this innovative topping will become a regular addition to Rita’s menu from July 8enhancing the Rita experience with its playful, crunchy texture.

Leveraging the popularity of the beloved NERDS brand^®Rita is excited to deliver NERDS^® Grape-flavored ice cream in a Rita’s gelati, topped with creamy vanilla custard and garnished with BABY NERDS™. For those looking for a sipping treat, the NERDS^® The Grape-Flavored Gelati Blender, an Italian frozen drink blended with custard and topped with BABY NERDS™, provides a refreshing treat for guests all summer long. The NERDS^® BABY NERDS™ Grape Ice Cream and Topping can also be enjoyed on Rita’s Signature Treats menu.

Rita’s app users can enjoy a free taste of the new BABY NERDS™ topping when they purchase a Gelati or Gelati Blender and redeem the single-use reward through their loyalty app at participating Rita’s stores. New app users will receive the reward when they sign up through July 21.

Photos and videos to consider: https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/MM7p4y9HxM

“We are excited to introduce our customers to the innovative and adventurous sweet, crunchy and tangy flavor of NERDS^® “We will soon be launching a grape-flavored ice cream this summer,” said Madalyn Weintraub, Senior Director of Marketing at Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard. “Being the first to launch BABY NERDS™ topping is an incredible opportunity to offer our guests a unique and fun experience that can only be found at Rita’s. This partnership exemplifies our commitment to continually bringing fresh and exciting flavors to our menu. We are excited for our guests to create unforgettable summer memories with a Rita’s in hand!”

Looking for even more treats? Download the Rita’s Ice app and start earning rewards on your purchases and receive a free small ice cream just for signing up. Those who are not yet members of the Rita’s loyalty program can download the Rita’s Ice app from the Apple or Google Play stores, or by visiting ritasice.com/app/. Sign up now to receive free treats, birthday rewards, exclusive app offers and more!

Rita’s Signature Italian Gelato is made fresh daily and is available in a daily rotating selection of over 80 flavors. Other Rita’s menu items include Creamy Custard, Signature Gelato, Concretes, Iced Coffee, Rita’s Blenders™, Milkshakes and more.

For more information about Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard and to find your nearest location, please visit http://www.ritasice.com/.

About Rita’s Italian Ice and Frozen Ice Cream:
Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard opened in Bensalem, Pennsylvania Founded in 1984, Rita’s has been dedicated to spreading the “Ice, Custard, Happiness!” brand ever since. Today, Rita’s is the world’s largest Italian ice cream concept with over 550 stores. Customers from around the world visit Rita’s to celebrate their everyday moments with freshly made treats in a fun atmosphere. Known for its famous Italian ice cream, made daily with real fruit, and its signature ice cream, Rita’s serves up a taste of happiness with every delicious treat. For more information about Rita’s Italian Ice, please call 1-800-677-7482 or visit http://www.ritasice.com/.

About NERDS:
NERDS is a playful, fun-to-eat candy with a variety of delicious, crunchy, chewy and gummy options: the original NERDS, including the iconic dual-flavor box, NERDS Ropes, Big Chewy NERDS… and now NERDS Gummy Clusters. The original iconic box combines two complementary flavors with dual chambers, allowing candy lovers to pour perfectly imperfect morsels of pure deliciousness. NERDS Ropes give fans a chewy, fruity string filled with crunchy, sweet NERDS, and Big Chewy NERDS and Sour Big Chewy NERDS have a crunch that surrounds a chewy center. The new NERDS Gummy Clusters have tangy, crunchy NERDS clustered around a sweet gummy center for a tasty, poppable bite.

About Ferrara:
For more than 115 years, Ferrara has been creating sweet confections that bring sweetness, celebration and connection to candy lovers of all generations. Today, the company is a leading sugar confectioner in the United States and Brazil, with global sales in more than 40 countries. Ferrara has a passionate team of more than 8,000 employees who create and deliver hundreds of products sold under more than 30 popular brands like Brach’s^®Candy^®NERDS^®Sweet Tarts^®Laffy Taffy^®and Trolli^® Ferrara is distributed to more than 67 million U.S. households each year and offers popular Dori products under brands such as Dori, Gomets, Pettiz and Yogurte 100 in Brazil. Ferrara has its global headquarters in Chicago and an operational network of more than 27 locations in North America, Brazil, China and Thailand, which includes manufacturing, distribution, sales and research and development facilities. Ferrara is a privately held company related to Ferrero. For more information, visit www.ferrarausa.com Or www.linkedin.com/company/ferrara-.

Media Contact:
Abby Zweigle
For Italian ice cream and Rita’s ice cream
(protected email)
856-341-4584

SOURCE Rita’s Italian Gelato and Ice Cream