From a basement confectionery in 1914 to more than five million gallons a year, Velvet Ice Cream makes premium ice cream in Utica, Ohio, still using the recipe Joseph Dager developed at the company’s founding. The family-owned business is now led by fourth-generation sisters Luconda and Joanne Dager and remains closely tied to Ye Olde Mill, its longtime home and visitor destination. Velvet distributes throughout the Midwest while welcoming more than 150,000 visitors annually to its headquarters.
Kosher
certification
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
Aglamesis Brothers IncSince Thomas and Nicholas Aglamesis opened their first Cincinnati ice-cream parlor in 1908, Aglamesis Brothers Inc. has made ice cream and chocolates using Old World recipes and traditional confectionery methods. Now operated by the third and fourth generations of the family, the company continues that Cincinnati tradition from parlors including its Oakley location, which retains much of its original early-20th-century design.CINCINNATI, OH
Coutts Ice CreamCoutts Ice Cream began in 2010 when the Coutts family decided Paupack Blueberry Farm’s fresh local blueberries deserved better than a manufactured ice cream, so they started making their own premium homemade ice cream. The family-run shop also makes homemade fudge and gives local growers space to sell produce when available.HAWLEY, PA