A Sweet Collaboration: Oberweis Ice Cream Partners with The Joffrey Ballet for The Nutcracker 10th Anniversary

Oberweis will release a new limited-edition Nutcracker Peppermint Swirl ice cream available for purchase at live performances and in stores this holiday season

CHICAGO (November XX, 2025) — Oberweis Ice Cream and Dairy and The Joffrey Ballet are thrilled to announce a new partnership in celebration of the 10th anniversary of two-time Tony Award®-winning choreographer ©Christopher Wheeldon’s The Nutcracker. To honor this milestone, Oberweis has crafted a brand-new, limited-edition ice cream flavor: Nutcracker Peppermint Swirl. A collaboration between two of the most iconic brands in Chicago, this festive new sweet treat will be available for purchase this December at all Oberweis scoop shops, as well as at Lyric Opera House Chicago during performances of The Nutcracker, which runs from December 5-28, 2025.

The new Nutcracker Peppermint Swirl from Oberweis features rich, sweet sugar cookie ice cream, swirled with a festive crimson peppermint ribbon. The new flavor will be available in 4oz ice cream tubes developed by Oberweis, and will be sold as individual treats by The Joffrey Ballet, and also available as a three-pack at Oberweis scoop shops and select grocery stores this December. The new Nutcracker Peppermint Swirl ice cream tubes from Oberweis will be the first-ever treats sold as a three-pack tube bundle from the Midwest’s most beloved ice cream makers.

"The Joffrey Ballet’s Nutcracker is one of Chicago’s most cherished holiday traditions for so many families, just as our ice cream has been for nearly 100 years," said Jennifer Peterson, Vice President of Marketing for Hoffmann Oberweis Dairy. "It’s an honor to partner with such an iconic Chicago institution to commemorate this incredible 10-year milestone.

Nutcracker Peppermint Swirl is our way of adding a little extra sweetness, and families will be capturing the magical spirit of the ballet with every bite."

The new flavor will officially be available by The Joffrey Ballet during live performances of The Nutcracker, at Lyric Opera House Chicago beginning December 5 and will be available through December 28. Guests will be able to purchase Nutcracker Peppermint Swirl through December at Oberweis scoop shops and select grocery retailers.

“We are delighted to celebrate a decade of this beloved holiday tradition by partnering with Oberweis," said Greg Cameron, President and CEO of The Joffrey Ballet. "The Nutcracker Peppermint Swirl is the perfect complement to the wonder and magic audiences experience each year with Christopher Wheeldon's The Nutcracker. This collaboration brings together two Chicago favorites, connecting the city's artistry, unbridled joy, and a bit of sweetness all together at once."

Guests can enter the spellbinding world where history and dreams intertwine with The Nutcracker. Join Marie and her Nutcracker prince on a fantastical adventure in Tony Award®-winning Christopher Wheeldon's kaleidoscopic reimagining, set amidst the spectacle of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.  On a magical Christmas Eve, after awakening to an epic battle between Toy Soldiers and the Rat King, a flurry of snowflakes sweeps Marie away on a whirlwind journey to the dreamlike fairgrounds of the World's Columbian Exposition. Set to Tchaikovsky's classic score, experience sprawling attractions representing countries from around the globe: the dazzling Golden Statue, the mystique of an Arabian enchantress, vibrant Venetian masked dancers, Chinese dragons, and Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.