UDairy Creamery helps university creameries share ice cream, cheeses in DC

3:26 p.m., March 10, 2015--The University of Delaware’s UDairy Creamery offered a helping hand to fellow university-based creameries from around the United States, serving its own ice cream as well as treats from 12 other institutions during a special event March 2 in Washington, D.C.

The selections were served during the 2015 meeting of the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET), which is part of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU). 

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The national event draws deans from universities with agricultural colleges and schools to Capitol Hill. Several members of Congress and 200 congressional staff members also attended. 

Fourteen workers from the UDairy Creamery were stationed alongside federal relations officers from each institution at booths throughout the room to serve ice cream to visitors. 

Melinda Litvinas, UDairy Creamery manager, said UD offered to serve ice cream from the other universities as UD is the closest creamery to Washington. 

Because all the food had to be inspected before it could be brought into federal facilities, it made sense for the UDairy Creamery to take the items as its proximity meant fewer time constraints. 

Of the creameries in attendance, 12 had ice cream, seven offered ice cream and cheese, and one had cheese only. 

“I think it was good opportunity for all the schools demonstrate their value because the congressional staff members who work with these universities aren’t at the creameries all the time,” Litvinas said. “It was nice for the schools to be able to show off in D.C. and there’s a lot of talk about making it an annual event.”

In addition to helping the creameries show their wares, the UDairy Creamery will host the University Creamery Managers Association annual meeting from June 17-18 in Townsend Hall. At the event, all 21 university creamery managers from across the country will be invited to visit UD. 

Some of the creameries that sent ice cream or cheese to the event were Pennsylvania State University, Clemson University, the University of Missouri, the University of Wisconsin and South Dakota State University.