Anyone can pile their friends or kids in the car to swing by the nearest ice cream shop, but how many Americans can say they know exactly where they can go to see how their favorite ice cream is made? At Blue Bell® Creameries, you can do just that. For many Texans, the “Little Creamery in Brenham” is a quick road trip away.
Blue Bell® Creameries began in 1907 as Brenham Creamery Company, which specialized in producing butter, according to Blue Bell®. They did not start cranking out ice cream until 1911, and when they did, they were making about two gallons a day. The creamery was renamed Blue Bell® in 1930 after a wildflower which blooms seasonally in the hot months of Texas summertime.
Blue Bell® took the ice cream industry by storm when it expanded to nearby Houston. Winning many hearts along the way, its ice cream products have become a classic summer necessity for many Americans.
Today, Blue Bell® sells its products in 22 states, yet is one of the nation’s top selling ice cream brands. In fact, “Blue Bell is the number-one selling ice cream in many major markets with a 49 percent share in the West South Central Division,” which includes Texas, according to Nielsen Data found in 2018.
Although Blue Bell® has grown significantly since its humble beginnings, the company has taken great care to not shift too far from its original ingredients and values.
The Blue Bell® headquarters, which produces the majority of the brand’s mass amounts of ice cream products, is not like any other major modern corporation. Mirroring the small town of Brenham and its charming reminiscence of the “good old days,” the headquarters is small, but constantly action-packed nonetheless.
“There is always something new and exciting to see at Blue Bell®,” says Jenny Van Dorf, the public relations manager at Blue Bell®. “We make different products and flavors every day, so you never know what we will be producing when you visit.”
Most visits begin in the Visitor Center, where people can explore more than 100 years of Blue Bell® artifacts and history and take advantage of photo opportunities, explains Van Dorf.
Just outside the Visitor Center, Blue Bell’s® first refrigerated truck is on display, which could hold 20 five-gallon cans of ice cream, according to Blue Bell®. A few steps away from the refrigerated truck is the sculpture garden, where a bronze statue of the classic Blue Bell® Cow and Girl logo stands. There is also a statue of the original founders of the creamery, creating a nostalgic awareness of simpler days.
Near the Sculpture Garden, there are picnic areas for visitors to relax and enjoy their ice cream. Also in this area is a seedling version of The Century Tree, a Texas A&M University landmark, donated to Blue Bell® in 2012, according to Blue Bell®.
The building next to the Sculpture Garden has the attractions everyone looks forward to most: the Ice Cream Parlor, Country Store, Observation Deck, and the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Museum.
To reflect on Brenham’s rich history of baseball, the first floor of the building contains the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Museum, where visitors can explore memorabilia.
Up the stairs, visitors find the charming Ice Cream Parlor, where they can get a Texas-sized scoop of any available ice cream for just $1, says Van Dorf.
Just past the Ice Cream Parlor is the Observation Deck, where people can watch — but not take photos of — the production process. Also right off the Ice Cream Parlor is the Country Store, where visitors can purchase souvenirs.
“Our Observation Deck is offered free of charge and our Country Store is always changing,” says Van Dorf. “The experience is always fun and entertaining, perfect for all ages.”
As popular attractions to Brenham locals and Texans, the Visitor Center, Observation Deck, Ice Cream Parlor, and Country Store host around 200,000 visitors per year, according to Blue Bell®.
Tours at the creamery are self-guided, but there is usually at least one Blue Bell® employee at the Observation Deck who answers guests’ questions and explains what is going on in the manufacturing facility below, Van Dorf explains.
The Country Store, Ice Cream Parlor, and Visitor Center are open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm, and the Observation Deck is open most days, but visitors are encouraged to check the website for closures and hours.
Best of all, admission is free and comes with a paper hat that gets everyone in the spirit. See and experience for yourself where one of America’s most beloved ice creams is produced.
For more information about Blue Bell® Creameries, visit www.bluebell.com.
