Ruby Jewel Scoop Shop creator Lisa Herlinger began her title as queen of Portland’s indie ice cream scene at the Portland Farmers Market in 2004, where local fruits and herbs served as inspiration for her all-natural, grown-up ice cream sandwiches with quirky flavors like cinnamon chocolate espresso, honey lavender, and fresh mint with dark chocolate cookies. Fast forward eight years and Ruby Jewel now has two brick-and-mortar “scoop shops,” where the local, handmade ethic continues—ice cream is made in small batches with local rBST-free milk from Lockmead Farms, fair-trade vanilla beans from Singing Dog Vanilla, and local/organic mint, coffee, and seasonal fruits. Though flavor comes first at Ruby Jewel, the company is dedicated to the environment too—spoons are made of recyclable wood, cups are compostable, they use wind power to fuel the kitchens, buy carbon offsets to compensate for their shipping, and even the Neapolitan-colored walls are painted with eco-friendly paint made by local paint company Yolo.
