Last week, we told you that Griffin Market in Georgetown had Leave it to Beaver “Hot Box Lunches” and “Just For Men” boxed hair dye. But it was a sign near the register that informed us of something even more unusual—not in a box, but rather in a carton. The sign said, “Gifford’s Ice Cream ‘Coming Soon.’”

And a few days ago, soon came. Now wedged between Dove and Ben and Jerry’s, Gifford’s Ice Cream is available in four flavors—Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Marshmallow, Coffee Chip and Swiss Chocolate—at $5.99 a tub. Look for the baby blue and pastel yellow signature colors. And their fancy “G” in script font.

But this is not Griffin Market’s first time selling the local favorite—they sold Gifford’s about four or five years ago, when the shop was under a different owner. Fast-forward to this summer, when Gifford’s phoned up Griffin Market with plans of bringing it back to shelves. The story was news to three-year owner Ashish Patel, who was instantly gung-ho about re-introducing the product.

You might remember Ashish Patel—he was famous last week for saying, “you just can’t find this anywhere else”—and within a few-mile radius, he might be right about Gifford’s. The company is just beginning to venture into the wholesale market. If sales take off, Patel says that he might even remodel the front portion of his shop—now dedicated to fresh coffee, a selection of yogurt muffins and the occasional fruitfly—to sell Gifford’s goodness by the cone.

The new downtown Gifford’s location (at the corner of E and 10th streets NW) does have some appeal, though, with its walk-up window and monthly seasonal flavors—this month’s are Cantaloupe Ice Cream and Blood Orange Sorbet—but nothing beats digging into a carton with your own non-plastic spoon at home. If the small one-pint portion from Griffin Market is not enough, visit any of the Gifford’s locations for ice cream by the 2.5-gallon tub ($65 for 50 servings) or sorbet by the 1.5-gallon tub ($50 for 36 servings).

Try saying Gifford’s at Griffin three times fast.

Griffin Market
1425 28th Street NW
(202) 965-2080