Grass Roots Creamery Brings Back Old-Time Ice Cream To Granby

All you need to know about Grass Roots Creamery, located at 4 Park Place in Granby, is that it has three different flavors of bacon ice cream.

Boom.

End of story. You’re welcome.

OK, I’ll give you more.

Much to the delight of local residents, the ice cream shop, owned by Lee and Eliza Florian, opened on the July 4 weekend in the location formerly occupied by Tina’s Ice Cream.

To be sure, there are some similarities between Tina’s and Grass Roots, including several employees who carried over from the old store to the new. In addition, some of the equipment and fixtures also remained.

Oh, and they both carried delicious ice cream and Avery’s Soda.

“The community is happy that an ice cream store opened here,” Eliza said. “There’s no other ice cream store in town." (Ed. note: Clark Farms at Bushy Hill Orchard sells Tulmeadow ice cream)

But that’s where the similarities with Tina’s end.

For one, Grass Roots is exclusively a scoop ice cream (including sorbet and frozen yogurt) endeavor, with no soft serve or grill in back for hotdogs or hamburgers.

Oh, and the ice cream - 36 flavors in all - is manufactured in small batches in central Connecticut by a man whom Eliza calls her “ice cream artisan.”

“He’s creative and he’s willing to work with me,” Eliza said in an interview Saturday. So special is this ice cream artisan that Eliza declined to name him because she wanted to keep it a trade secret.

Which is understandable, because the ice cream is custom made and tailored to the Florians’ specifications.

For example, Eliza wanted a coffee ice cream with more kick, so she requested double-dark coffee, a bold confection that drew raves from my wife, who knows her ice cream.

The ice cream is all-natural - there are no artificial flavors or colors to be found anywhere on site. That goes for the toppings, too. No gummi worms, M&Ms, Skittles or even rainbow sprinkles, for that matter.

“It was a risk,” Eliza said. “People said that I was shooting myself in the foot [by not offering tricked-up flavors and toppings]. But I haven’t heard a complaint. It’s a fun place and the kids want real treats, quality things.”

And the flavors are nothing but quality - including the sweet bacon, the Sunday Morning Breakfast (maple syrup and bacon) and chocolate bacon, all of which are popular tasters, Eliza said.

The toasted almond and cookie dough were also favorites among my family members, with the best part being that all four of us had our fill of terrific ice cream for under $20.

“I couldn’t have pictured opening a shop any other way than how I raised my own family,” said Eliza, who said that she has never owned a store before and that she basically had just three days to do her due diligence.

The Florians’ have a pretty simple business model, to be sure, but one that appears to be working in a down-to-earth town like Granby.

“It’s going really well,” Eliza said. “It’s a really social place and it’s such a positive vibe here.”

The Florians have made it a family endeavor, with Lee and Eliza renovating and restoring the space to give it an old-time feel, with hardwood floors and items recycled from old houses. The Florians’ daughter Emma drew up the logo. And all five Florians work at the shop along with five other employees.

Eliza, who worked as a social worker, realtor and stay-at-home mother, quipped that she has been working her whole life preparing for this.

The customers have given it a ringing endorsement.

“It’s really good,” said Safiya Fahradeen in between bites of salted caramel and ambrosia.