Founded by Bruce Reed in Bridgewater in 1989, Bruster’s Real Ice Cream makes small-batch ice cream fresh each day in its shops. Its old-fashioned slow-kettle process and rotating collection of more than 150 handcrafted recipes give each independently owned location its own daily flavor lineup, while desserts such as handmade waffle cones and ice cream cakes are prepared in-house.
Bank Street CreamerySince 1998, Bank Street Creamery has been making handcrafted small-batch ice cream in downtown Easton, with more than 120 flavors rotating through its cases. Formerly The Purple Cow Creamery, the shop was purchased in 2015 by Brooks Minnick, a Wilson native and 22-year Coast Guard veteran, who later partnered with Candace Gail and added vegan gelato alongside the traditional offerings.EASTON, PA
Purity Ice Cream CoFounded by Cornell graduate Leo Guentert in 1936, Purity Ice Cream makes small-batch ice cream in Ithaca, where the locally owned shop remains a Finger Lakes institution. Guentert began with natural ingredients and a drive to improve chocolate ice cream; today, Purity’s more than 30 flavors are scooped at its shop and shipped nationwide, with scratch-made bakery items and food served alongside them.ITHACA, NY
Hall's Ice CreamFounded in 1947 when John Allen Hall made ice cream for his wedding, Hall’s Ice Cream still produces its original-recipe ice cream and sherbet beside the family farm in Millerstown, Pennsylvania. One of Central Pennsylvania’s last remaining family ice cream businesses, Hall’s makes its products in small 10-gallon batches and serves them in an old-fashioned parlor as well as through stores and restaurants across the region. The recipes and process have remained essentially unchanged since the company began.MILLERSTOWN, PA
Eric’s Ice Cream FactorySince 1999, Eric’s Ice Cream Factory has been making homemade, handcrafted ice cream in small three-gallon batches at its Northwest Ohio shops and mobile ice cream truck. The Defiance-based company has developed more than 170 rotating flavors, including its own dairy-free options and exclusive topping and flavor lines, giving its cases a distinctly local and inventive character.DEFIANCE, OH