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
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
Perry’s Ice Cream Co., IncFounded in Akron, New York, in 1918 by H. Morton Perry, Perry’s Ice Cream is a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated ice cream maker and frozen-food distributor. Its signature ice cream follows a family recipe and slow-cooked process, and the company also contract-manufactures frozen desserts for partner brands.AKRON, NY
Pierre’s Ice Cream Company, IncPierre’s Ice Cream Company is a Cleveland ice cream and frozen-dessert manufacturer founded in 1932 by Alexander “Pierre” Basset, beginning as a shop that made ice cream fresh each day. The family-owned business remains in Cleveland, where it operates a 35,000-square-foot factory opened in 2011 and a distribution center and office headquarters. Its products are made for retail and food-service customers, and the company also manufactures private-label frozen desserts.CLEVELAND, OH
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