HVC Ice Cream Truck for your Next Event

HVCreameryTruckin' Around

Harmony_w6a8983Food trucks have been cruising around California for a while, and recently, desserts of all kinds have been getting in on the action. After your taco or your sandwich, you need a little something sweet, right? But we don’t think donuts and cupcakes should get to have all the fun.

Harmony Valley Creamery has an original 1957 Divco milk truck that is enjoying its second life as our Scoop Truck! On most weekends, you’ll find us parked in the town of Harmony–just visit our Where’s the Scoop Truck page or follow us on Twitter to find out exactly where we’ll be.

More good news: you can also reserve us just for you and your guests! The only thing better than coming to visit the ice cream truck is inviting it to set up shop right in front of you! It sounds like an ice cream delivery dream, but we make it happen at festivals, fairs, and private events like these:

  • Graduation Receptions
  • Retirement Parties
  • Weddings
  • Anniversary Celebrations
  • Birthdays
  • Holiday Gatherings
  • Family Reunions
  • Company Picnics
  • Open Houses
  • Wine Tastings (Who says you can’t have a wine and ice cream pairing? Do what you want!)

Is our craft ice cream the best ice cream? We think so, but we’ll let you be the judge, mostly because we’re pretty sure you’re going to agree with us.

With a variety of ice cream flavors like Local Yodelers Cookies ‘N’ Cream, Mayor Freddy’s Vanilla Bean, and Harmony Chapel Chocolate, we can make an ice cream cone to suit every taste bud at your party. Invite us to your next event!

Get the whole scoop (or maybe a double) on booking the ice cream truck by sending an email to thescoop@harmonyvalleycreamery.com. We can’t wait to hear from you!

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Craft Ice Cream Hits Retail Shelf…

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HVC six pints Signature Flavors

Our craft ice cream has hit a retail shelf and we couldn’t be more giddy!  That’s correct, a single retail shelf.  Our good friends at Soto’s True Earth Market in Cambria, CA is the first retail market to carry our Signature Flavor line of craft ice cream in pints.

Just to kick things off – we will be giving away free mini taster cones on Saturday, March 25th from noon to 2pm out of our vintage Scoop Truck in front of market.  Stop by to enjoy a taster cone, and while you’re at it pick up a pint or two.  Just look for udders in their freezer case.

We’re just getting started, so if you live outside of Cambria, CA be sure to ask you local market to carry our udderly awesome ice cream.

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Cyclone Destroys Madagascar Vanilla Crops

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Madagascar Vanilla Beans

Madagascar Vanilla Beans

Madagascar, renowned for its high quality vanilla, is the world’s leading exporter of the spice, accounting for half of global production.  Cyclone ENAWO struck the island on March 7, 2017, wiping out a significant portion of Madagascar’s vanilla crop. The cyclone made a direct strike on Antalaha and  Sambava, the two largest vanilla producing areas.

Demand and prices for pure vanilla have been increasing in the past few years as food manufacturers including Nestle SA and Hershey Co. shifted from artificial flavoring.

“There will simply not be enough vanilla to meet the world demand,” said Josephine Lochhead, president at Cook Flavoring Co., a century-old buyer in Paso Robles, California. “Vanilla is literally gold.” Reported by Bloomberg Markets.

At Harmony Valley Creamery we never compromise on the quality of our products or the ingredients that we use. We use pure vanilla, and in particular Madagascar vanilla extensively, in our craft ice creams.  Bourbon vanilla beans from Madagascar are superior. Rich, dark and creamy with an overwhelming sweet, buttery aroma.  As a small producer we are already seeing the impact of vanilla price increases.  We will continue monitoring prices, and may need to adjust our prices in order to maintain the superior quality of our craft ice cream that customers have come to love.

Read the full report by Cook’s Flavoring Co. on their blog here.

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Craft Ice Cream: Does BIG Equal Craft?

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When it comes to craft ice cream what brands come to mind? Ben & Jerry’s? Häagen-Dazs? Most people imagine those names since they are the third and fourth best selling brands in the U.S. at $465.4 million and $418.8 million respectively. With sales of that magnitude and both brands being owned by multinational corporations…should we or can we consider them craft?
How exactly is craft ice cream defined? We did some online sleuthing in search of answers, but Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionaries, and Wikipedia all came up with nada. Not to fear, we found clarity from the craft beer industry. The Brewers Association defines craft beer by the following criteria (which we’ve adapted to craft ice cream):
·       Made by small makers in small batches.
·       Innovation is the hallmark.
·       Generally made with traditional ingredients; interesting and sometimes non-traditional ingredients are often added for distinctiveness.
·       Involved in communities through philanthropy, product donations, volunteerism and sponsorship of events.
·       Distinctive, individualistic approaches to connecting with their customers.
·       Maintains integrity in its products and a general independence, free from a substantial interest by a non-craft ice cream.
Based on the above criteria, Harmony Valley Creamery is definitely craft ice cream. And in fact, our fans would say Harmony Valley Creamery is the best craft ice cream! We’re proud to be among a new generation of ice cream makers on the rise who truly take craft to heart. Swing by our small town or follow our Scoop Truck to taste for yourself.

Sources:

Sales of the leading ice cream brands of the U.S. 2016

The World’s Top-Selling Ice Cream Brands

 

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DIY Ice Cream Presidents

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Mount RushmoreIt seems even US Presidents both past and present have a fondness for ice cream. While we’re not sure if our current POTUS  is a DIY ice cream fanatic, we definitely know two of our founding fathers – George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were.  In fact George Washington loved DIY ice cream so much that he bought ice cream-making and serving supplies for the capital.  Also during the summer of 1790 POTUS #1 reportedly splurged and spent $200, approximately $5,000 in today’s dollars, on American’s favorite frozen treat.

Not to be out done when it comes to producing DIY ice cream, POTUS #3, Thomas Jefferson, is credited with the first written ice cream recipe in America -a mere 18 step process with only 3 ingredients

Abraham Lincoln was also considered quite the fan, and although not known to be a DIY ice cream POTUS, Lincoln did serve a bevy of ice cream flavors at his second inaugural ball including: Vanilla, Lemon, White Coffee, Chocolate, Burnt Almond and Maraschino.

And while not of POTUS stature, former VPOTUS #47 confessed “My name is Joe Biden, and I love ice cream,” and so do we Joe!

Let us celebrate President’s Day, and remember at Harmony Valley Creamery we like to say – “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Ice Cream.”

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Ice Cream for Breakfast. We Say Why Not!

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Skip the Milk and add Ice Cream Instead

In just two days, Ice Cream for Breakfast Day is officially celebrated. And we say why not!  The holiday is celebrated on the first Saturday in February.  Invented on a snowy winter day in the 1960s by Florence Rappaport in Rochester, New York.  The mother to six children, it was her youngest two, Ruth (now Kramer) and Joe Rappaport, who inspired her on a cold and snowy February morning. To entertain them, she declared it to be Ice Cream For Breakfast Day. She explained, “It was cold and snowy and the kids were complaining that it was too cold to do anything. So I just said, ‘Let’s have ice cream for breakfast.'” The next year, they reminded her of the day and a tradition began. The exact year of the first ICFBD is unrecorded, but it is speculated to be 1966, when a huge blizzard hit Rochester in late January, dumping several feet of snow on Rochester and shutting down schools.  When the siblings grew up, they held parties and introduced the tradition to friends while in college, and the tradition began to spread.

Harmony Valley Creamery “Scoop-lutes” Florence Rappaort and her children for celebrating a weekend morning in the depths of winter to celebrate our favorite food.  It just proves no matter the season, weather, temperature, or meal, ice cream is always on the menu.

Source: Wikipedia

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3, 2, 1, Launch!

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Woo hoo! Our new site has launched, and the view sure is nice from up here. Congratulations on finding our bovine blog — where you’ll find big news about our tiny town, the whereabouts of our Scoop Truck, local retailers that carry our tasty pints of pure delight, and much more! Visit early and often for the latest and greatest ice-cream news you can use. Thanks for swinging by!

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Harmony – The Tiny Town with Big Character

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Harmonyca_townsign-650x354

Harmony has humble beginnings, dating back to 1869 when it was established as a dairy settlement by Swiss immigrants. The area was made up of a creamery and a number of dairy farms, the owners of which maintained tense rivalries until 1907, when a truce was called and the community chose the name “Harmony” as a declaration of their commitment to peace. Read the full article here.

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Ranking 5 fun foods at the Mid-State Fair

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Of course ice cream is a “fun food”, but getting an “A” grade from the SLO Tribune during the 2016 California Mid-Sate Fair only confirms what we already knew:  Harmony Valley Creamery ice cream is “Udderly Awesome.” Read the full article here.

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