The document discusses Southern Craft Creamery, a small ice cream company owned by Lauren and Zach O'Bryan. It summarizes that they put a lot of effort into perfecting their ice cream through experimentation and cleaning their small-batch equipment. They make about 60 gallons of ice cream per day and carefully deliver it themselves. They focus on using local ingredients to showcase other local farms and try new flavors.

1. and experimentation are crucial to
making new flavors.”
The O’Bryans pour a lot of hard
work into perfecting Southern
Craft Creamery’s ice cream. The
process includes a lot of cleaning and
sanitizing while making ice cream in
between those cleaning efforts.
The small batch equipment they use
in their facility produces the taste
and texture they desire, but does not
have the “clean in place” systems
that larger machines have, which is
why they spend the majority of their
time cleaning.
“For us, ice cream making is tedious
and time consuming,” O’Bryan
stated. “It requires a lot of time and
attention to detail to make a smooth,
minimal-ingredient ice cream that is
not homogenized.”
Southern Craft Creamery holds a
special place in the O’Bryan’s lives.
They go to great lengths to protect
DESSERTDESSERT
the brand they have created. They
keep marketing to a minimum and
build strong relationships with select
retailers who can share the company’s
story with customers.
“We place a lot of importance on who
retails our ice cream and the message
it sends to our customers,” O’Bryan
said. “We choose not to sell our ice
cream in chain retailers to make sure
we are sending a very clear message
about who we are and what our ice
cream represents.”
“When we started the business, we
understood that a brand that builds
lasting relationships with customers
needs to present a consistent
message,” she added. “That message
is communicated through everything
we do and perhaps more importantly,
everything we choose not to do.”
For a list of retailers that sell
Southern Craft Creamery’s ice cream
and the flavors available, visit
www.southerncraftcreamery.com. •
By Joey Mazzaferro, Communications Coordinator
Lauren O’Bryan’s husband,
Zach, had just completed
his service for the U.S.
Marine Corps and the couple was
looking for their next journey in
life together.
That path became clear when
Lauren’s parents came to visit
and made a proposal: come back
to the family dairy in Marianna
and make homemade ice cream
using milk from the farm. Lauren
and Zach took a leap of faith and
committed to a new venture called
Southern Craft Creamery.
“We decided to make ice cream as a
way to build relationships between
local customers and our dairy
farm,” Lauren O’Bryan said. “We
noticed the majority of residents
in our small, rural community
didn’t know there was a dairy farm
nearby and fewer understood what
dairy farming entailed.”
The first step was attending ice
cream school at the University
of Wisconsin and Penn State
University. After the O’Bryans
completed their schooling, it was
time to start making ice cream.
After creating several variations,
they perfected the specific taste and
texture they were looking for and
Southern Craft Creamery was open
for business.
When producing ice cream for sale,
Lauren and Zach can make about 60
gallons a day. The couple carefully
prepares and delivers all the ice
cream themselves.
“From the time we get our milk to
the time the ice cream is ready to be
sold is about 48 hours per batch,”
Lauren said.
Lauren feels Southern Craft
Creamery’s ice cream allows them
to get very creative with her family
dairy’s milk output. It
also allows for the use of
other agriculture products
to create the flavors for
their ice cream, thus
promoting local farms in
the Panhandle.
“Zach and I search for new
and unique flavors that can
assist in showcasing local
ingredients,” O’Bryan said.
“We will try just about
anything, but not all flavors
will make the cut. Creativity
June 2014 | FLORIDAGRICULTURE 5
A tub of Satsuma-Ginger Sorbet is
ready to be packaged for sale.
A batch of Salty Caramel from Southern
Craft Creamery is being prepped for delivery.
Southern Craft Creamery’s facility where the ice cream is made.
(Photos courtesy of Southern Craft Creamery)
Zach O’Bryan uses a juicer to
make the ingredients for the
homemade ice cream.
Direct From The Dairy