Penn State University Creamery facts for kids
Penn State Berkey Creamery in 2010.
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Creamery |
| Founded | 1865 in University Park, Pennsylvania |
| Headquarters | Food Science Building,
University Park, Pennsylvania
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Key people
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Tom Davis (Berkey Creamery Manager) |
| Products | |
| Parent | Pennsylvania State University |
The Penn State Berkey Creamery is a super popular spot at Pennsylvania State University where they make and sell delicious ice cream, sherbet, and cheese. It's often just called The Creamery. Everything they make comes from the university's own Department of Food Science.
This Creamery is the biggest university creamery in the United States. They use about 4.5 million pounds of milk every year! Most of this milk comes from the university's own dairy cows. They also sell around 750,000 hand-dipped ice cream cones each year. With over 100 different ice cream flavors, made with rich ingredients from all over the world, it's a favorite for students and visitors alike.
Contents
History of the Creamery
Early Beginnings
The very first Creamery building was set up in 1865. This was a long time ago! Soon after, in 1892, they started offering special classes to teach people about dairy farming.
Ice cream became a big part of football weekends at Penn State starting in 1896. That's when the Creamery first began selling its tasty ice cream to the public. By 1932, the Creamery was buying milk from hundreds of local farmers. They were selling ice cream in nearby towns like State College and Altoona.
Famous Ice Cream Makers
Did you know that the founders of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, learned some of their skills at the Penn State Creamery? In 1978, they took a special course there. This course taught them the basics of how to make ice cream.
Growing Production
The Creamery kept growing over the years. In the 1980s, they were using about three million pounds of milk each year. By 2004, they were providing over 225,000 gallons of milk to the dining halls at Penn State.
In that same year, 2004, the Creamery also made 200,000 pounds of cheese products. They produced 225,000 gallons of ice cream and sherbet. These products were sold to the public and also used by the university.
A Special Request
There's a fun story about a U.S. President who visited the Creamery. Only President Bill Clinton was ever allowed to mix different ice cream flavors in his cone. Normally, the Creamery does not let people mix flavors. President Clinton asked for Cherry Quist and Peachy Paterno flavors together. However, when he visited again after being president, he was told he couldn't mix flavors anymore!
Moving to a New Home
For a long time, the Creamery was located in a building called Borland Laboratory. But in 2006, it moved to a brand new building. This new home is part of the Food Science Building. It's also closer to the university's big football stadium, Beaver Stadium.
When the move was first announced, some students were not happy. They even protested a little bit. But eventually, everyone got used to the new location. The new Creamery facility was named the Berkey Creamery. This was done to honor the Berkey family, who gave a lot of money to help build the new Food Science Building.
Popular Flavors
Over the years, five ice cream flavors have remained the most popular at the Creamery. These top flavors are Vanilla, Bittersweet Mint, Peanut Butter Swirl, Peachy Paterno, and Butter Pecan.
Images for kids
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The old location of the Creamery was in Borland Laboratory.
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People waiting in line to get their ice cream.
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A special plaque about The Creamery, put up by the Alumni Association.
See also
- List of dairy product companies in the United States
