Nico's Ice Cream

Nico's Ice Cream

Company type	Private
Industry	Food and beverage
Founded	January 1, 2021 (2021-01-01) in Portland, Oregon, United States
Founder	Nico Vergara
Headquarters	Portland , United States
Area served	Oregon, Washington, California
Key people	Nico Vergara (co-owner), Kelton Stone (co-owner)
Products	New Zealand-style soft serve ice cream, half-pints

Nico's Ice Cream is an ice cream enterprise located in Portland, Oregon, USA. Established by Nico Vergara in 2021, the venture initially operated as a food cart and pop-up before launching its inaugural brick and mortar location in northeast Portland in November 2021. A subsequent site opened in the Vernon neighborhood in November 2022. In 2024, Nico's extended its presence to California with outlets in Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz. The company is co-owned by Vergara and Kelton Stone. By 2023, half-pint offerings were available at nearly 100 retail points throughout Oregon and Washington.

Description

Nico's Ice Cream offers a distinctive take on New Zealand-style soft serve featuring fruit blends such as blueberries, kiwi, mango (marketed as "Tropical Thursday"), marionberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Their ice cream bases are sourced from Tillamook and Umpqua brands. Available toppings include options like chamoy, coconut flakes, graham cracker, rainbow sprinkles, and tajin seasoning.

The Vernon location on Killingsworth Street is recognized for its vibrant murals and neon signage that complement the brand’s cartoon-style logo. Originally offered only at select venues, Nico's half-pint products had expanded distribution to roughly 100 stores across Oregon and Washington by 2023.

History

Nico Vergara founded Nico's Ice Cream in 2021, beginning with a food cart in Portland financed through his stock market investments. Since then, the brand has grown to include two permanent storefronts in Portland along with additional shops in Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz, California. Kelton Stone serves as a business partner.

Prior to establishing its first fixed location, Vergara operated pop-ups and a food cart at Prost Marketplace. The first brick-and-mortar store debuted on Fremont Street in Portland’s Cully neighborhood in November 2021, followed by a second venue on Killingsworth Street one year later. The California expansions occurred during October and November of 2024.

In 2023, Nico's conducted a marketing initiative by placing golden tickets inside half-pint containers sold at Portland locations, granting winners free ice cream for an entire year. Additionally, the company collaborated with the Portland Pickles baseball team to introduce pickle-flavored ice cream at Walker Stadium and participated as a vendor at the 2023 Waterfront Blues Festival. In 2024, Nico's also appeared as a vendor during Powell's Books' warehouse sale event.

Reception

Nico's secured fourth place in the best ice cream category of The Oregonian 2024 Readers Choice Awards.

See also

• List of ice cream brands
• List of ice cream parlor chains
• List of restaurant chains in the United States