Northwest-branded ice cream now available at local store

Northwest-branded ice cream now available at local store

Ice cream lovers can now try Northwest Missouri State University-branded flavors.

The Creamery at Northwest unveiled its vanilla, chocolate and "Bearcat Berry" ice cream on Aug. 13 at 102 Market in Maryville, a farm-to-table store at 1647 N. Main St. that offers locally produced goods for purchase.

Priced at $5.49 each, it took just 37 minutes for all 160 pints of the ice cream to sell.

But local consumers who couldn't purchase some of the ice cream shouldn't lose hope. The ice cream will continue to be available at 102 Market each Thursday through October. It also may be available at various campus events as the creamery evaluates demand.

"It's very special to have dairy products produced at Northwest available to the local community for the first time in decades," Bill Brooks, an agricultural sciences instructor who has helped develop the creamery, said. "Hopefully, the addition of locally produced dairy products will add to the other great local products on the market already and allow consumers to source a majority of their foodstuffs from local producers."

After months of testing equipment, the creamery inside the Agricultural Learning Center at Northwest's R.T. Wright Farm is operating this fall, and 13 students are enrolled in the University's dairy processing course to learn the equipment further and assist with production.

The ice cream is made at the creamery with a high-quality mix supplied by Illinois-based Meadowvale Inc. Additionally, the creamery plans to process whole milk this fall and could soon offer it to local consumers also.

"I'm anxious to get the students back to get them involved and get them making it," Dr. Rod Barr, the dean of Northwest's College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, said.

The benefit to Northwest agriculture students, Barr said, is they gain hands-on experience by learning the process of making ice cream and operating the machinery, but the creamery also may serve as a launchpad for other profession-based learning opportunities. For example, business and marketing students could get involved by helping the creamery perfect its business model.

The creamery and a dairy products course will provide students with a new focus area, in addition to a dairy science course that Northwest has offered for many years, along with learning about agricultural commodities after they leave the farm.

"Northwest students will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience in the marketing channel for consumer food products, from production to marketing to delivery to the consumer," Brooks said. "The creamery could also provide opportunities to work with food manufacturers, which could lead to internships or careers."

Generous donations from local charitable trusts, agricultural agencies and private donors have assisted Northwest with construction of the creamery and acquiring the necessary equipment.

As one of the largest agriculture programs in the Midwest, Northwest's School of Agricultural Sciences serves nearly 500 students annually in seven undergraduate and three graduate programs. The Wright Farm, which is located north of the Maryville campus, is a fully functioning, 448-acre facility that provides a critical resource for hands-on, experiential learning for students. The Agricultural Learning Center, which opened on the farm in 2021, features laboratories, a food processing kitchen, classrooms and an exposition space.