Cranberry Junction Brings Its Homemade Ice Cream to New Milford
Cranberry Junction Brings Its Homemade Ice Cream to New Milford
New Milford's ice cream scene just got a serious upgrade. Cranberry Junction Ice Cream has opened its third location at 370 River Road, taking over the former Crave Creamery space, and if you know the Hackensack original you already know this is good news.
The shop has actually been quietly serving customers for a few weeks now, according to employee Sammy Ibrahim. A more formal soft opening is expected within the next week or two. Owner Mohammad Mahmoud is holding the grand opening until the weather cools down, because he wants to paint first. When it's done, expect the vibrant colors and whimsical, magical designs the brand is known for. This is a family friendly operation through and through.
"It’s going to be the same homemade ice cream and excellent customer service as we provide in Hackensack," Mahmoud said.
That Hackensack shop has been running since 2019 at 19 Temple Ave, and it built a loyal following on flavors you don't find everywhere. Right now the popular scoops include ube biscoff and banana pudding, with pumpkin pie in the case for the season. Mahmoud has plans to bring back fig honey and matcha honey, and eggnog ice cream is coming for the holidays. The ube biscoff alone is worth the trip. Ube is having a moment and most versions around here are forgettable. This one people actually talk about.
Here's the part that makes this story bigger than one store opening. Cranberry Junction also has a location in Dubai, and Mahmoud regularly travels between New Jersey and Dubai to make sure the ice cream at every location follows the recipes he developed.
"It’s not easy, but it has to get done," he said. "The results are very good and ice cream comes out really creamy and delicious, and it’s always fresh."
A Bergen County ice cream maker with a Dubai outpost flying his own recipes back and forth is not something you see every day. That kind of obsession usually shows up in the product.
Opening in New Milford was a natural move. It's close to Hackensack, where the customer base already exists. "A lot of our supporters are from the neighborhood, so we figured it would be a good idea to bring our ice cream to the community," Mahmoud said.
Practical stuff: the new shop is at 370 River Road, New Milford. The original is at 19 Temple Ave, Hackensack, open daily noon to 10. No official hours announced yet for New Milford, so check their site at cranberryjunctionicecream.com before you pull up.