Purity Ice Cream

About the Business

Specialties

Purity makes homemade ice cream, vegan ice cream, sweet treats from our bakery, and a fun all day kitchen menu!

History

Established in 1936.

OUR STORY Known as "The Ice Cream of the Finger Lakes", Purity has been providing original recipe, small batch ice cream to Central New York for generations.  Purity Ice Cream, the Pride of the Finger Lakes, was first produced in 1936 when Leo Guentert opened his shop on Ithaca's First Street.  Leo, born in Germany, graduated from Cornell, then worked for Nestle´ and the old Ithaca Ice Cream Co., prior to setting out on his own. His granddaughter, Margo Klose, also a Cornell grad, took over the reins upon Leo's death at the age of 96. In 1998, Bruce and Heather Lane bought Purity with an eye towards revitalizing this Finger Lakes icon. We still use Leo's original recipes.  Ice Cream the way it used to be made!  In small batches. With local, high quality ingredients, including BGH-free milk from upstate NY farms. In 2021, Kevin bought Purity to keep the staple of Ithaca alive! We have invested in building up a food menu and bakery to create the Purity Experience for the next generation

Meet the Business Owner

Business owner information

Kevin S.

Business Owner

When I was growing up, my parents would bring me every weekend to Purity. It was our family tradition to get our favorite ice creams: Bittersweet! As I grew older, my love for ice cream and that shop never wavered, and before I knew it, I was standing in front of the shop with my children creating new memories. My desire is to build the same fond family traditions I grew up with for the next generation! We strive to deliver good back to our community through our Non-Profit flavor of the month and monthly donations to children's charities!