The Launch
Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches, the Richmond, Virginia-based frozen novelty maker, has added a limited-edition S'mores flavor to its retail lineup, available exclusively at select Target stores nationwide beginning early September. The product is the result of an officially licensed collaboration with the National Park Foundation, with a portion of sales directed to the nonprofit's conservation and programming efforts.
The new SKU features honey graham cookies encasing chocolate toasted-marshmallow ice cream swirled with marshmallow fluff — a format consistent with Nightingale's established brand architecture of scratch-baked cookies and 14% butterfat ice cream. The company, founded in 2016 by Hannah Pollack and Xavier Meers, has built its retail presence to more than 6,500 chain and independent grocery locations, including Whole Foods Market, Costco, Kroger, Wegmans, The Fresh Market, and Harris Teeter.
Why It Matters
The Target exclusivity arrangement is a tactically significant distribution move for a brand that has expanded rapidly in the premium frozen novelty segment. Securing a major-mass retail exclusive allows Nightingale to drive trial among a broad, price-conscious consumer base while preserving the premium positioning it holds at specialty and club channels. The National Park Foundation tie-in adds a cause-marketing dimension that has become an increasingly standard tool for differentiating limited-edition SKUs in the crowded freezer aisle — a category that has seen sustained shelf-space competition as better-for-you and premium novelty brands vie for destination placement.
"National parks bring people together and inspire a lifetime of unforgettable memories," said Amber Hanna, Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships, Licensing Strategy at the National Park Foundation. "We're thrilled to partner with Nightingale Ice Cream to capture the iconic outdoor tradition of s'mores and give ice cream lovers a sweet way to support and protect these treasured places for generations to come."
For Nightingale's part, CEO and Co-Founder Hannah Pollack framed the partnership in personal terms, citing a goal to visit every U.S. national park over the next five years. "There's something magical about gathering around a campfire at the end of a day spent outdoors," Pollack said. "We wanted to create a flavor that captures that sense of wonder, adventure, and nostalgia in every bite." The outdoor-nostalgia positioning aligns with a broader consumer-trends shift toward experiential food narratives that brands across the frozen dessert category have been leveraging since the post-pandemic surge in outdoor recreation.
What's Next
Nightingale has not disclosed pricing, unit volumes, or the financial terms of the National Park Foundation licensing arrangement. The S'mores flavor is positioned as limited-edition and available while supplies last, a scarcity framing that commonly supports both sell-through velocity and earned-media value for seasonal SKUs. Whether the collaboration extends beyond the 2026 autumn window — or expands to Nightingale's broader retail distribution network — has not been confirmed. The brand's trajectory, however, suggests continued SKU expansion: since launching from a Richmond restaurant in 2016, it has scaled to national chain placement in under a decade, a growth rate that positions it as one of the more closely watched independent operators in the premium frozen novelty space. Nightingale also reported in its Food & Beverage Magazine profile that it continues to expand into restaurants and event venues alongside its grocery channel push.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
