Here’s the scoop on the Penn State Berkey Creamery’s performance at a national dairy contest

Penn State’s Berkey Creamery scooped up two first-place awards at a national dairy product contest.

The Creamery was recognized for its butter pecan ice cream and black raspberry frozen yogurt at this year’s World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest. The Creamery also finished third in the category of sharp cheddar.

The contest, sponsored by the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association, is the only one in North America open to all dairy products, its website says. Cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese, fluid milk, whipping cream, sour cream and whey processors are eligible to participate. This year’s expo received a record 1,560 entries.

Major companies also compete, such as Land O’Lakes, which won first place for its sharp cheddar entry.

The Creamery received first-place honors for chocolate milk last year, its first time entering the contest.

Tom Davis, the Creamery manager, said he was proud of the awards for the ice cream but took a broader view.

“It’s also immensely gratifying to be recognized for our frozen yogurt and sharp cheddar cheese this year, in addition to our chocolate milk last year, proving we’re more than ice cream,” Davis said in a statement. “It’s a testimony to our dedicated employees who craft and manufacture these products.”

Wisconsin Dairy Products Association Executive Director Brad Legreid said the industry has come to embrace the benefits of participating in the contest.

“Winning companies parlay their success into unprecedented marketing and retail sales opportunities, while other companies receive valuable insights from the fifty highly trained sensory experts whom judge their products,” he said in a press release. “Everyone benefits from this contest, including the 1st place winners, all participating companies, food banks and college students pursuing dairy careers.”