Fifty Years and Counting: Sherman’s is Undeniably Devoted to Ice Cream
If you’ve visited South Haven on the Lake Michigan shore, then chances are you’ve visited Sherman’s Dairy Bar and Ice Cream Parlor. And if that happened, chances are even greater that you still haven’t forgotten their delicious ice cream – or the teal cows!
Sherman’s started selling milk in 1916, but it wasn’t until 1958—50 years ago this month—that they started making and selling ice cream out of their small shop outside of town. To say they are undeniably devoted to crafting the richest, creamiest ice creams is no exaggeration.
On a recent day in July, Milk Means More visited Sherman’s to find out more about their ice cream and to” Scoop It Forward” – that is, treat their customers to free ice cream in honor of National Ice Cream Month.
We talked to general manager Wendy Mooney who has worked at Sherman’s for 17 seasons. That’s Undeniably Devoted! She told us a few key facts about Sherman’s ice cream:
- All ice cream is made on site in small batches with the best quality ingredients they can get
- They typically offer 57-60 different flavors in a season
- Their top three sellers are vanilla, butter pecan and blue moon
- Customers take a numbered ticket for service; it is not unusual for the shop to go through 100 tickets in an hour on a busy day
- Sherman’s has around 30 employees, many of them local high school kids who work hard to serve those ice cream cones quickly to the waiting customers
During the half hour we were at Sherman’s, dozens of customers were treated to free ice cream as part of the Scoop It Forward program, compliments of Michigan dairy farmers. We hope that the next time these customers visit Sherman’s, they’ll return the favor to another ice cream devotee!
Have you Scooped It Forward yet this month? If so, there is still time to enter our Scoop It Forward contest for a chance to win an ice cream maker! POST a picture of at least two people sharing ice cream (one can be you!) on Instagram and TAG @milkmeansmore. Contest ends July 31.
