Penn State Creamery

Penn State Berkey Creamery is a dairy production and retail operation associated with The Pennsylvania State University. Its history traces to dairy research at Penn State in 1865, when the first Creamery was established at the College Barns. The Creamery describes its work as contributing not only to the Penn State experience but also to education, research, and the dairy industry. The Creamery makes ice cream, cheese, spreads, and other dairy products. Its retail store is located at 119 Rodney A. Erickson Food Science Building in University Park, Pennsylvania, where visitors can buy scoops and specialty products. The official website highlights flavors including Happy Happy Joy Joy, Death By Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, Butter Pecan, and Alumni Swirl, alongside seasonal or featured offerings such as Peppermint Stick. It also sells coffee and offers gifts and cheese through its online shop. The Creamery’s stated mission is to support teaching, research, and outreach programs of Penn State’s Department of Food Science; provide quality dairy products to students in on-campus housing; and maintain an economically viable retail outlet for dairy products for the university community. Its official site says it ships Penn State ice cream to 48 states. The Creamery presents science-based manufacturing as central to its identity, connecting consumer products with the university’s food-science and dairy-production work.

Penn State Berkey Creamery traces its beginnings to dairy research at Penn State in 1865. The Creamery’s official history identifies that year as the establishment of the first Creamery, located in the “College Barns” behind the present-day Old Main. The site says the original setting also included a blacksmith’s shop and hayloft. The Creamery frames its long history as part of the university’s development in dairy instruction, research, and production. A significant early step came in 1889, when a standalone Creamery building was constructed. According to the official account, Henry Armsby’s efforts to improve the college’s instruction and research in dairying led to a one-story facility with a cold-storage room, cream-ripening room, workroom, and office space. Its construction was funded as part of a $7,000 state appropriation. This early infrastructure supported the institution’s development as a place for dairy education and practical production. In 1892, Pennsylvania State College offered four- and eight-week dairy short courses. The official history says these courses included lessons on making ice cream. This detail reflects the Creamery’s longstanding connection between instruction and the manufacture of dairy foods, rather than a role limited to retail sales. Today, the Creamery describes itself as supporting the teaching, research, and outreach programs of Penn State’s Department of Food Science. Its stated mission also includes providing quality dairy products to students in on-campus housing and maintaining an economically viable retail outlet for dairy products for the university community. It produces ice cream, cheese, spreads, and other dairy products, and describes its manufacturing processes as science-based. The official website says the operation transforms five million pounds of milk per year into ice cream, cheese, and spreads. The present-day Berkey Creamery combines its university and food-science identity with a public-facing retail business. Its University Park store welcomes visitors, offers scoops and specialty products, and is located in the Rodney A. Erickson Food Science Building. The Creamery also sells products online, including ice cream shipped to 48 states. Its website highlights classic and signature flavors, seasonal features, ice cream cookie sandwiches, coffee, gifts, and cheese. The Creamery thus continues to serve as both a Penn State tradition and an operating dairy enterprise connected to education, research, and outreach.

• 1892

  Dairy short courses offered

• 1889

  Standalone Creamery building constructed

• 1865

  First Creamery established

A university-associated dairy creamery combining retail dairy products with food-science teaching, research, and outreach; presented as a long-standing Penn State tradition.

• Ice cream

  The Creamery’s featured retail product, sold at its University Park store and online for shipment to 48 states.

• Cheese and spreads

  Dairy products made by the Creamery, alongside ice cream.

• Ice cream cookie sandwiches

  A specialty offering highlighted on the Creamery website.

1. 1Penn State Berkey Creamery | Order Ice Cream Onlinecreamery.psu.edu
2. 2Our Story | Penn State Berkey Creamerycreamery.psu.edu
3. 3Customer Logincreamery.psu.edu
4. 4Berkey Creamery closes retail store until further notice; online sales continue | Penn State Universitypsu.edu
5. 5Creamery partners with Housing and Food Services to offer products at campusesbehrend.psu.edu
6. 6Creamery partners with Housing and Food Services to offer products at campuses | Penn State Universitypsu.edu