Honeycone Craft Ice Cream: Locally Sourced, Ingredient Driven Ice Cream in Chester, CT

Callie Weyers June 10, 2025

Within the heart of quintessential downtown Chester resides Honeycone Craft Ice Cream. Ran by mother and daughter duo, Tula McDougal and Christina Barabe who are taking fresh and local very seriously when it comes to their ice cream.

Honeycone opened in October of 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, giving the Chester community

“A safe place where you could pop in and pop out, get something that would kind of make your day brighter” says Barabe

By being present in these tough times Honeycone was able to entrench themselves in the local community.

Not only is Honeycone known for their delicious classic flavours such as pistachio, but they create innovative seasonal flavours such as this month’s rosemary with apricot and honey and their bestseller in July, sweet basil with blackberry swirl.

Honeycone sources their ingredients for fruit and vegetable based flavors from local farms such as Deep Hollow Farm, Scott’s Farms, and Whitegate Farm. These collaborations allow them to help support other local businesses while guaranteeing the freshness and quality of their products. Don’t worry if dairy isn’t your thing, Honeycone also offers vegan sorbet options that rotate seasonally such as their tomato sorbet in midsummer.

During my visit, I was given the opportunity to test flavors from coffee oreo, to cherry vanilla, and even orange stracciatella. The freshness of their ingredients is evident from the first taste. Their mint oreo had the perfect hint of natural, earthy mint. Whereas their orange stracciatella, had a slight citrusy flavor which balanced nicely with the creaminess of the ice cream. As Barabe states Honeycone strives to

“Create memorable flavours that are different than what you would get if you just go to the average ice cream shop”.

Due to their small batch ice cream making process at their nextdoor factory location in Deep River, when you walk into Honeycone, you are ensured the freshest possible scoops.

Honeycone also stands out for their collaboration with organizations such as Anchor Health CT which is a health center for Connecticut’s LGBTQ community. They are now serving their funfetti pride flavor, and for the month of June one dollar from every scoop of funfetti will be donated to Anchor Health in celebration of Pride Month.

Within the past year, Honeycone has expanded its reach to 20 new retail shops and restaurants that sell their pints or scoops. They can be found all over Connecticut such as at Terrain Cafe in Westport, Pasta Vita Market in Old Saybrook, and Atticus Market in New Haven. Just be on the lookout for their distinctive teal honeycomb print on their pints.

In addition to their quaint shop on Main Street, Honeycone has a mobile sweet cart that can be hired for personal events and weddings. They will also be at Hawk Ridge Winey on June 15th and the summer soulstice party on June 21st at TOX Brewing, so stop by and grab a scoop or sundae.

If you want to spice up your day with trying a creative flavor like sweet corn or even if you want something more familiar such as their sweet cream, be sure to stop by Honeycone Craft Ice Cream in Chester. As Co-Owner Christina Barabe says,