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You are here: Home / Travel / Cincinnati & Greater Cincinnati / Having Fun with Ice Cream: A Graeter’s Ice Cream Tour

Having Fun with Ice Cream: A Graeter’s Ice Cream Tour

January 4, 2016 by Susan Bewley

Want to learn more about how true ice cream is made? Check out our exclusive tour of Graeter's ice cream facility & learn how their ice cream is made here!

Do you love ice cream? Personally, I am a big fan of high quality ice cream. I’m not talking about the cheap stuff made from mostly milk, but honest ice cream – made with real cream. While there are a few brands I have grown to love, nothing beats my all time favorite ice cream made in my local area – Graeter’s. For those who have never heard of the brand, they are a local company to the Cincinnati area that makes handcrafted ice cream using a French pot process that they have been using since 1870. Their custard and flavor bases are vat-pasteurized to develop the best possible flavor possible, creating an amazing treat that families have enjoyed for generations. With how much my family loves their ice cream, I was excited when we had an opportunity to tour their facility!

On the day of the tour, I drove to the Cincinnati area, eager to see how my favorite ice cream was made. Once I got to the Graeter’s headquarters and factory, I couldn’t wait to get inside, where the other bloggers taking the tour were meeting up with our guide. After learning a bit about the history of  Graeter’s, we went downstairs to the factory itself.

Want to learn more about how true ice cream is made? Check out our exclusive tour of Graeter's ice cream facility & learn how their ice cream is made here!
                                   Sorry for the spots in the picture. It was sprinkling during the picture.

First, however, we needed to get suited up. If there was one thing that was stressed to us many time before started the tour, it was how important cleanliness was to Graeter’s. They rarely offer tours – not becuase they have something to hide, but for cleanliness reasons. The more people they have going in and out of the facility, the more likely it is for something to be contaminated. To avoid that, we had to wear booties, a smock, and a hair net. As you can see from the picture below, they were taking things seriously on this tour. Also, if you see any white foam in any of the pictures, don’t panic! This is an anti-bacterial foam sprayed on the floor automatically every so often to keep everything as sanitary as possible.

Graeter's picture me

From there, we went to the first step of making our favorite ice cream – making the mix.  They first start with high quality ingredients. We first saw how the mixture is created with awesome ingredients, where they are mixed in a giant mixer until the is at the perfect smoothness and has a consistent texture. From there, it starts the pasteurization process, where it is put through a 12 step process to kill bacteria before it is pumped to its next location for cooking. One of the things they do is very slowly raise the temperature to help preserve flavor. To make sure everything works properly and that nothing gets contaminated, time and temperature of each batch is very carefully monitored by charts throughout the room.  Once it is cooked, it is held for, at most, 96 hours before it goes being frozen into ice cream.

Want to learn more about how true ice cream is made? Check out our exclusive tour of Graeter's ice cream facility & learn how their ice cream is made here!

Before I move on to the ice cream getting frozen, I want to talk a bit about the ingredients. As someone who has allergies, I was amazed at all the steps they take to make sure there isn’t any form of cross contamination. First off, they start by storing all the ingredients that are known allergens away from other ingredients so that if any package leaks, it doesn’t cross-contaminate other ingredients. Not only do they have a work-shift that focuses solely on cleaning, but everything is tested regularly to make sure contaminants aren’t on any of the equipment. Allergen control and cleanliness is a major priority to Graeter’s, making it the perfect company for people with minor to serious allergies (like me).

Want to learn more about how true ice cream is made? Check out our exclusive tour of Graeter's ice cream facility & learn how their ice cream is made here!

Next, I have to admit, was my favorite part – seeing the ice cream being made. On the day I was taking the tour, they were making one of the hardest ice creams for those on the floor – Cookies and Cream. Here is where we saw the ice cream being made, one batch at a time, in 2 1/2 gallon French pots.  One employee was preparing Oreo cookies, while others were quickly working on the ice cream itself. As you can see from the pictures, everything is very organized and moves quickly.  Each employee gets a batch of the mix which is pumped into the room and brings it to the pot, where it is mixed to perfection. Once the mix is brought to the French pot, however, magic begins to happen!

Want to learn more about how true ice cream is made? Check out our exclusive tour of Graeter's ice cream facility & learn how their ice cream is made here!

Inside the French pot, the ice cream begins to freeze. Before it gets too cold, however, high quality, melted chocolate is poured into the mixture, as well as the cookies. From there, the machine naturally mixes it and breaks up the cookies. This is how you sometimes end up with wonderful, mostly whole cookies in the ice cream that taste absolutely heavenly. As you can see, the ice cream looks absolutely amazing. As it finishes, it is placed into buckets, where it is then hand packed into the Graeter’s containers.

Want to learn more about how true ice cream is made? Check out our exclusive tour of Graeter's ice cream facility & learn how their ice cream is made here!

 

Once the ice cream is packaged, it is then put through a special system where it not only sealed, but x-rayed, dated, and then placed upside down. Being placed upside down is important so that it completely freezes properly. From there, the ice cream is prepared to go out on trucks, where it is sent to stores or grocery stores for people like you and me to enjoy!

Want to learn more about how true ice cream is made? Check out our exclusive tour of Graeter's ice cream facility & learn how their ice cream is made here!

Once we finished seeing the ice cream being made, we got to hear some fun, interesting facts about Graeter’s, including stories about their famous Black Raspberry ice cream. What truly blew my mind was just how much of this ice cream they make. While I knew it was their number one selling ice cream,  I didn’t know that they were the second largest purchaser in the world of black raspberries, only being beaten by Smuckers (around 30% of crops alone go to Greater’s). As well, the color of the ice cream itself is the true color of the black raspberries. They pick only the best black raspberries from the crop, paying over $300 a gallon for black raspberries. Wow!

Graeters Black Raspberry

As well, we were told a fun story about why Graeter’s isn’t afraid to show others how their ice cream is made. Unlike other ice cream companies, keeping their ice cream high quality and using the same process is very important. Actually, it is very costly and as one of their owners said in an interview decades ago, “No one is stupid enough to copy us!” To them, giving us high quality ice cream is more important than maximising profit.

Want to know my favorite part of the tour though? All of us got to have ice cream straight from the assembly line! How cool is that? If you are a fan of high quality ice cream, I highly recommend giving Graeter’s ice cream a try! To see where it is sold near you, make sure to check out their store locator or you can visit your local neighborhood store.

Want to learn more about how true ice cream is made? Check out our exclusive tour of Graeter's ice cream facility & learn how their ice cream is made here!

 

Want to learn more? Check out Graeter’s on Social Media!

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Want to learn more about how true ice cream is made? Check out our exclusive tour of Graeter's ice cream facility & learn how their ice cream is made here!

About Susan Bewley

Susan Bewley is a professional writer who has been writing content online & in print format for over 10 years. As well, she is an alumni of the University of Louisville with a Masters Degree in Special Education. When not working as an online business consultant or ghost writing, she can be found writing on Budget Earth, on her own novel, or working with various entities in the pet industry.

Filed Under: Cincinnati & Greater Cincinnati, Travel

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jennifer Boehme says

    January 16, 2016 at 3:52 pm

    I did not know that was the hardest kind to make! And it took that long to make ice cream. I like they are very concerned about sanitizing and making a quality product…although I have never heard of them. Nice place.

  2. Kim Pincombe Cole says

    January 16, 2016 at 4:05 pm

    We just had a Graeters open by my house in Indy & everyone is losing their mind – it’s so good!!!

  3. Mckena says

    January 16, 2016 at 11:16 pm

    I’d really love to go on an ice cream tour! I’ve gone on other tours, but I’ve never considered an ice cream tour. Sounds delicious!

  4. violet taylor says

    January 17, 2016 at 3:35 pm

    this looks so fun. my kids would love to see this.

  5. lisa says

    January 24, 2016 at 5:35 pm

    I haven’t heard of them before. The ice cream sounds and looks delicious. I love it when it’s kind of melted a bit.

  6. Tenley Erickson says

    January 29, 2016 at 3:52 pm

    This must have been so fun! I love seeing how things are made. I would have been SO ready for that Ice Cream by the end! hehe…Thanks for sharing your fun tour! 🙂

  7. Mark says

    February 2, 2016 at 6:36 am

    That’s so cool! I love ice-cream. Thank you for sharing!

  8. veronica lee says

    February 3, 2016 at 7:54 am

    My family loves ice-cream! Ooooo, we’d love to go on an ice-cream tour!

  9. Michele Ash says

    February 7, 2016 at 1:07 am

    Thanks for the Fantastic Review on Having Fun with Ice Cream: A Graeter’s Ice Cream Tour! WOW! It sounds like you and the other bloggers had a great time! I sure would have loved to take that tour with you! We all love Ice Cream! I’ve never heard of Graeter’s Ice Cream before. I guess the stores that I shop at in Pennsylvania don’t carry it! Thanks so much for sharing your fantastic review, all the wonderful pictures, and your personal and professional opinions on Having Fun with Ice Cream: A Graeter’s Ice Cream Tour with all of us! I honestly do appreciate it! Thanks again! Michele 🙂

  10. Kimberly Flickinger says

    September 27, 2016 at 8:08 pm

    I have never tried their ice cream; however, I have seen it at my local Kroger here in Michigan. All the time I lived in Ohio I never knew this brand of ice cream existed. Will have to try it some day.

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