Penn State Berkey Creamery’s whole chocolate milk earns prestigious honor for being the best
Penn State’s Berkey Creamery ice cream is usually the item that garners national acclaim — but it turns out it’s the chocolate milk that’s “world-famous.”
The local creamery’s whole chocolate milk recently placed first overall in its respective category at the 2021 World Daily Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest, sponsored by the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association. The competition is the only one of its kind in North America.
“Of course, we — and our customers — believe that creamery products, including our chocolate milk, are ‘the best of the best,’” Tom Davis, manager of the creamery, said in a written statement. “But having experts in the dairy products industry give us their stamp of approval is gratifying.”
Berkey Creamery’s whole chocolate milk garnered a near-perfect score of 99.8 on a 100-point scale, based on taste, texture, appearance, off-flavors, etc. The runner-up came from Hato Potrero Farms (Florida), with the bronze-medalist hailing from Prairie Farms (Illinois). There were 37 total entries in the category.
Interestingly enough, no individual dairy finished among the top 3 in more than one category in the whole, 1%, 2% and fat-free chocolate milk categories.
Penn State’s creamery boasts a rich history, as it was started in 1865 in the “College Barns” behind where Old Main stands today. In 1892, it offered America’s first collegiate instruction in ice cream manufacture — and it’s earned countless awards and distinctions for its cream, from making Food & Wine’s “Best Ice Cream Spots in the U.S.” to being named one of the nation’s top-21 ice cream shops by TimeOut.
Still, the Berkey Creamery — which has more than 200 cows as the country’s largest university creamery — is more than ice cream. It also produces cheese, milk, yogurt, sour cream and a variety of other products, such as juices, lemonade and iced teas.
The gold-medal chocolate milk can be purchased on campus at the creamery and is available at campus dining locations.
This story was originally published September 2, 2021 at 2:33 PM.
