EMMA ROUTLEY/THE CHRONICLE
Bigfoot Fudge owner Johnny Saldaña has been busy from his downtown Creswell location during the pandemic. He’s adding ice cream and milkshakes to a new statewide distribution deal.
CRESWELL – The Bigfoot Fudge Factory storefront just got a little chillier.
Fudge connoisseur Johnny Saldaña has stayed busy this month, updating the look of the BFF storefront with new paint, wood floors and a big silver case already full of ice cream.
Prince Pucklers ice cream will debut in BFF on St. Patrick’s Day, with both unique and classic flavors available. The plan to sell ice cream comes full circle with waffle cones. Saldaña has been teaching himself how to make them by watching YouTube tutorials online.
“I thought I’d try my hand at it. I made some prototypes as a part of the research and they taste really good,” he said. “I learned that you can add flavorings to them.”
If cone-making continues to go well, Saldaña said he might make green waffle cones for St. Patrick’s Day.
Additionally, Saldaña accomplished a goal he’s had since he was making the fudge out of his kitchen: selling fudge in Made in Oregon stores, a gift retailer specializing in Oregon-made products. Saldaña pitched the idea by bringing the team Oregon-specific fudge flavors such as marionberry and hazelnut truffle.
Red Raspberry Cheesecake ice cream.
“I hadn’t heard back and I started wondering if they didn’t care for it. But they said it was because they were still shoving fudge into their mouths and didn’t get the chance to sit down and send me an email.”
But wait, there’s more. A milkshake machine is on its way.
“Who would have thought? I started in my kitchen as a side-hustle to my regular 9-to-5 gig. It’s kind of cool.”
Yeah, like ice cream and milkshakes.
