Blue Bell to return with help from prominent Texas businessman’s investment

Bass, 72, who became a partner in Blue Bell Creameries with the Kruse family of Brenham, didn’t respond to a request for an interview. Blue Bell had to recall major batches of its ice cream and the company had to halt production.

The CEO of Blue Bell said that the capital that it received from the businessman will help them and it will ensure the return of their product to the market, according to CNBC.

Bass is a well-known investor, philanthropist and an active figure in his family’s large-scale oil and gas business. Three people died and others became ill after eating Blue Bell ice cream that investigators believe had listeria in it. The company plans to resume limited production at its Sylacauga, Ala. plant soon, but has not publicly predicted when its products might return to stores.

However, it appears that Blue Bell is ready to bounce back from that, thanks to a massive investment by a billionaire businessman from Texas.

In this photo taken on October 29, 2014, Sid Bass stands before the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new building at One Safe Place in Fort Worth, Texas.

Meanwhile, most Blue Bell lovers are ready to forgive and forget. He has managed long-term investments and worked closely with management teams throughout his career, including The Walt Disney Company.

Blue Bell pledged to reassess everything about its operations – from cleaning to training – after a listeria outbreak was traced to several plants. Forbes previous year ranked Bass as the 324th wealthiest person in the U.S.

In late April, shortly after the company announced a system-wide recall, one firm that provides financial data on privately-held companies said the recall could cost Blue Bell as much as $130 million in lost revenue this year.