Rita's offers Cream Ices.

Rita's Italian Ices has added a new line for this season. The Pennsylvania-based chain of Italian ices shops is introducing Cream Ices, which the company describes as "much smoother and thicker than Italian ice, but not as heavy as ice cream." The product allows the Rita's shops to cater to a greater variety of tastes, offering an alternative to consumers who may want something "richer" than ices. "Rita's Cream Ices have allowed us to expand our menu selection to help satisfy the taste buds of every member of the family," said Robert Tumolo, Rita's founder and president.

The Cream Ices, which are made fresh daily, are being offered in four flavors: mint chocolate chip, coconut cream, chocolate peanut butter, and orange cream. A company representative told Ice Cream Reporter that the Cream Ices are made with a non-dairy, coconut-base.

The company notes that the Cream Ices can also be used in place of the traditional ices with Rita's custard to make the company's specialty items: Gelati, which in the past has featured layers of custard and ices, and the Misto, also made before with a combination of custard and ices, but blended into a shake. There are no plans at present for a company-wide advertising and promotional campaign for the new product.

Rita's Italian Ices came into existence in 1984 when Tumolo, a retired Philadelphia firefighter, opened the first Rita's ices stand as a way to supplement his income. The product was popularly received and by 1989 Tumolo had begun to franchise the concept.

Since then, Rita's has become the largest Italian ices chain in the country, with almost 225 shops open or projected to be open by the end of the year. Most of the units are located in the Northeast and Southeast regions, but they can also be found as far west as Ohio. Three of the shops are company-owned and the rest franchise units. The company projects that it will serve 30 million cups of Italian ices this year.