Kleinpeter ice cream expands into north Louisiana

With business booming thanks to its line of Louisiana-centric ice creams, Kleinpeter Farms Dairy is expanding into the northern part of the state this week, fourth-generation owner Jeff Kleinpeter says. The expansion will make the Baton Rouge-based company statewide, he says, with Jones Distributing Co. of West Monroe adding 600 vendor accounts to the dairy’s reach. In the past few years, the company has increased its Baton Rouge-New Orleans service area along interstates 10 and 12, westward to Calcasieu Parish and eastward to coastal Mississippi; the company started offering its frozen treats in Alexandria this summer. With an emphasis on regional ingredients, including Ponchatoula strawberries and homegrown sugar cane, Kleinpeter says adding a Ruston Peach ice cream helped inspire the northern growth, although he says Jones Distributing approached him for the deal. That firm, meanwhile, will add Kroger and Brookshire’s stores as clients thanks to Kleinpeter Farms’ partnership. With a budget already set, Kleinpeter says he will rely on his brand to spread the word about the broader availability instead of a marketing campaign in the next few months. He says his company has been focused on investing in its workforce, adding 85 jobs in a year and a half at its Airline Highway plant. “In a recession, are you crazy?” he says. Some of the notable new flavors that Kleinpeter offers are blueberry cheesecake, using homegrown blueberries, and egg nog.—Todd R. Brown