Photo: Gene Marrano

A Roanoke business is quietly expanding — opening locations in larger Virginia metro areas while remaining centered in the Star City. Jason and Carolyn Kiser opened the  Blue Cow Ice Cream Company five years ago this week at the former HITS ice cream shop along Walnut Avenue near the Roanoke River Greenway. Its success led to thoughts of expansion, and two years later, a second Blue Cow opened in Virginia Beach. Last year, the Kisers opened a third on the fringe of downtown Fredericksburg, and next month, a fourth Blue Cow will open inside a former Starbucks outside Richmond. The company makes all its ice cream in a building along Williamson Road, one big enough to handle any future plans. Blue Cow promises craft ice cream with some unusual flavors, and Kiser says plans are very much in place to continue its growth — perhaps even more this year alone. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more: