Old Town Churn to relaunch as Little Man Ice Cream Fort Collins
Little Man Ice Cream announced that Old Town Churn will undergo a rebrand to better align under the Little Man Ice Cream banner. The move marks a significant step in the company’s evolution, uniting its growing family of shops under a single, recognizable identity that honors the brand’s Colorado roots while setting the stage for continued growth.
While Old Town Churn has always been owned and operated by Little Man Ice Cream, the store has maintained its own distinctive character and branding. Set in downtown Fort Collins, the shop resides in a 26-foot-tall recreation of an antique wooden ice cream churn bucket, a nod to the region’s rich agricultural heritage.
“The nostalgic look that makes this shop so beloved is part of our Little Man brand,” says founder Paul Tamburello. “We’re simply modifying certain design elements to unify them with our other Little Man shops, allowing for a more cohesive experience no matter where you enjoy your scoop.”
The changes are designed to help reduce confusion around the Little Man brand and its fan-favorite flavors while ensuring greater continuity for continued growth, including the upcoming launch of a national direct-to-consumer shipping option. Since opening in 2008, Little Man Ice Cream has expanded to 11 locations across the Front Range while remaining focused on its homegrown mission of producing the highest quality ice cream, Frozen a Mile High. That commitment to the Centennial State can be felt through the employment of more than 250 young Coloradans and a continued reinvestment in Little Man’s immediate community through its Scoop-for-Scoop Program, which has supported local schools and community groups throughout the last 18 years via charitable donations. Little Man also prides itself on utilizing predominantly locally sourced ingredients, including its base cream, which comes from Englewood’s Meadow Gold Dairy.
“As we’ve expanded in Colorado, opening new locations, offering wholesale, catering and soon shipping nationwide, we’ve learned just how important it is to have a consistent brand identity wherever the customer finds us,” says Sarah Marie, director of sales and marketing for Little Man Ice Cream. “This rebranding effort allows us to better share our Colorado roots and values and creates alignment across our stores, allowing us to focus on growth and expansion in Colorado and beyond.”
“The last thing we want is to become another cookie-cutter chain without a soul,” says Tamburello. “As we continue to grow, we still plan on embracing the showstopping designs that have made our stores roadside attractions, and we’ll still continue to invest in community-driven, immersive experiences that become synonymous with visiting Little Man Ice Cream locations.”
To celebrate this new chapter, Little Man will host a celebration with free scoops for early guests, an unveiling of the new Little Man menus and brief remarks from founder Tamburello and other team members.
