Big Olaf rebrands 2 Sarasota stores as 'Blue Pineapple,' will sell new ice cream following listeria outbreak
SARASOTA, Fla. - Big Olaf is rebranding itself following a deadly listeria outbreak linked to its ice cream in Sarasota.
Two storefronts will now be known as "Blue Pineapple" and will sell McClain’s Homemade Ice Cream, another Sarasota ice cream maker. The stores are located off Tamiami Trail and Cattlemen Road.
The national listeria outbreak was linked to Big Olaf, which left one woman dead and nearly two dozen people sick. Last week, the FDA forced Big Olaf to recall all of its ice cream flavors after 16 of its 17 flavors tested positive for listeria.
Investigators also found traces of listeria in the company's processing facility.
Exterior shot of Big Olaf Creamery sign in Sarasota, Fla.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began investigating after nearly two dozen people across 10 states contracted the illness; 22 were hospitalized.
One woman died due to her infection, 79-year-old Mary Billman of Illinois, who ate ice cream at Big Olaf's on Bahia Vista Street in Sarasota and later died from the illness. Her family is suing Big Olaf, and their attorney said each update impacts them.
"They were, you know, very saddened by the fact that, you know, these positive tests came back on the equipment," Bill Marler, attorney for The Food Safety Law Firm said. "I think they're going to be heartbroken when they hear about that, the positive tests and the ice cream."
Another family suing the Sarasota-based creamery is that of a woman named Kristin, who was 11 weeks pregnant and vacationing in Florida when she ate ice cream made at the Big Olaf facility. She miscarried after contracting listeria.