The Texas-based company that has been serving up ice cream for more than a century is setting its roots down deep in the Upstate.

Blue Bell Creameries has just purchased the former home of PET Milk and Ice Cream at 911 Berry Shoals Road in Duncan.

The 13,775-square-foot facility situated on 5.35 acres will soon undergo renovations to house Blue Bell’s cold storage and distribution, with a targeted occupancy date set for late 2021.

It’s a move that Blue Bell Creamery regional manager Gene Reid said will allow the company to better service the greater Upstate and Western North Carolina areas.

“We really won’t be changing the service area,” Reid said. “It’s just that with this, we’ll be able to service it better with the availability of much more product.”

The purchase of the buildings itself won’t be the company’s biggest investment in Duncan, as the renovation is set to come with a price tag that exceeds that of the property.

The company plans to hire an additional four to seven full- and part-time employees, although Reid said plans are still preliminary.

“Right now we’re about a year out of doing anything in terms of actually moving stuff in,” he said. “But we’re just in the drawing phases, and construction won’t start likely until May.”

Brian Young, Kacie Jackson and Elliott Fayssoux of Cushman & Wakefield Thalhimer, along with Cushman & Wakefield of Texas, handled sale negotiation on behalf of the seller.

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