University Park, Pa. -- Lovers of Penn State's University Creamery ice cream and dairy products soon will be in different surroundings for their scoop of flavor and school tradition, as the Creamery's new salesroom opens for business on Wednesday, Aug. 16.
After 74 years in Borland Laboratory on the University Park campus, the 141-year-old Creamery will close its doors at that location and begin scooping one block to the east on Curtin Road in the Berkey Creamery of the new Food Science Building. While many special events are planned for the building's official dedication in late September, Creamery manager Thomas Palchak explained that new state-of-the-art equipment in the Creamery processing plant means that staff are still wrestling with a steep learning curve, so production will take place at both locations for a short period as the Creamery strives for a seamless transition to its new home. Sales of all products will be limited to the new location.
"The 'soft' opening will allow our employees the time needed for training on the equipment as well as getting acclimated to the new salesroom, coolers, freezers and storage rooms," Palchak said. "Our goal is to have a smoothly running operation by the time the students return in late August."
The new, larger salesroom means the Berkey Creamery can add new nondairy menu items -- breakfast pizza, additional hot soups, teas, lemonades and slushes -- to an expanded ice cream selection and cheese varieties. New ice cream sandwiches will feature vanilla ice cream between chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies. But, Palchak said, one Creamery tradition won't be changing: the ban on mixing flavors on a cone.
"We hand dip nearly 750,000 cones each year, and offering two or even three flavors of ice cream on a cone causes long delays for our customers," he said. "Additionally, the food industry is increasingly concerned about food allergens such as peanuts and tree nuts, and even the slightest co-mingling of ice creams that have these allergens in them may cause someone to become very ill."
By mid-October, the salesroom will feature a wireless cafe with Internet access for students, faculty and staff, as well as new scanning technology at store registers. Its design allows customers to be served far more efficiently and will enable up to 50 people to be served comfortably indoors.
"If the line does go outside, a special entrance has been designed so that an additional 100 people can stand under an archway and view the processing operation through large glass windows," Palchak said. "We also have outdoor seating for up to 150 people that blends seamlessly into an Ag Hill promenade leading to The Arboretum at Penn State. And now we have ample parking for creamery customers in the new East Parking Deck adjacent to the Food Science Building."
The Creamery's new home isn't just an indulgence, according to Food Science department head John Floros. Creameries once were common at every major university's agriculture college, he explains, but changing economics made them too expensive for most institutions to maintain. Penn State has managed to buck the trend by good fortune and great management, but the future demands facilities with greater capacity and flexibility.
"Proceeds from the sale of dairy products do a lot for Penn State," Floros said. "They pay for equipment replacement and preventative maintenance, but they also support internship programs and portions of the Food Science department's teaching, research and outreach programs. So the Creamery is more than a college tradition -- it plays a significant part in our successful service to the commonwealth."
Penn State supporters Earl and Jean Berkey also played an important role, making a family donation toward the building project that resulted in having the Creamery named in recognition of their benevolent gesture. They will be honored at the building's September dedication with a new flavor: Berkey Brickle is vanilla ice cream with a thick caramel sauce curl and peanut butter brickle candy.