Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams will be available for Memorial Day weekend.
The Columbus production kitchen, which shut down three weeks ago after reports of listeria, started up again today with a limited range of flavors. Founder Jeni Britton Bauer says other regional ice cream makers have been very supportive. Orville-based Smith Dairy, which supplies dairy products, will produce some ice cream to Jeni's specifications while the Columbus company gets up to speed. Jeni's shut stores in 6 states and pulled product worth $2.5 million off the shelves when listeria turned up in random tests. The source of the contamination turned out to be a pint filling machine in the factory kitchen. The company destroyed 265 tons of product, closed and cleaned the kitchens, and invested in equipment and new procedures to guard against future problems.
