Over the last 160 years, the Creamery has been an important Penn State landmark and a world leader in dairy production and food science. Take a journey through time.
1865
The First Creamery
The Creamery is established in the “College Barns” behind present-day Old Main along with a blacksmith’s shop and hayloft.
1889
Standalone Building
Due to Henry Armsby’s efforts to upgrade the college’s instruction and research in dairying, a one-story building containing a cold-storage room, cream-ripening room, workroom, and office space is built as part of a $7,000 state appropriation.
1892
Short Courses
Pennsylvania State College offers four- and eight-week dairy short courses that include lessons on making ice cream, making it the first collegiate institution to offer such instruction.
1904
Patterson Building
After relocation, Creamery processing operations greatly increase, research and development of pasteurized milk is established, the Dairy Manufacturing major is created and retail delivery of pasteurized milk and cream begins.
1920s
Borland Era Begins
Ice cream research thrives at the Creamery under the direction of Andrew Borland 1909 Agr, Chester Dahle, and Francis J. Doan, ’19, ’28, MS Agr.
1931
Borland Time Capsule
With plans for a new Creamery in the works, Andrew Borland plants a time capsule in his namesake building to be opened at a later date.
1932
Borland Laboratory
Production increases enough that milk and cream must be purchased from 300 area farmers. The Creamery sells milk, cheese and ice cream in the State College and Altoona markets.
1940s-50s
Delivery Fleet
A small fleet of Penn State Creamery trucks delivers milk locally.
1955
Keeney Era Begins
Dahle retires, and the University Creamery - as it is now called - adds Philip Keeney ’55 PhD Agr to its staff. Keeney teaches the ice cream short course for 30 years.
1960-61
Retail Sales
The Creamery adds a raw milk receiving room, then a salesroom along Curtin Road for walk-ins who want to try its 24 flavors. Demand continues to increase as improved refrigeration becomes available in homes and supermarkets.
1968
Berkey Milk Company Opens
Over the years, the Berkeys help many Penn Staters gain a foothold in the industry. Five of their superintendents are Penn State graduates and their plant is used for University milk testing.
1975
Food Science Department
Penn State’s Department of Food Science is created and begins to grow into one of the nation’s most prestigious programs.
1978
Ben and Jerry at PSU
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield take a $5 Penn State correspondence course on making ice cream before launching Ben and Jerry’s later that year.
1980s
The 80s
The Creamery is going through about 3 million pounds of milk a year to produce milk, cheese, and other dairy products and serve as a research facility for the Department of Food Science.
1986
New Management
Tom Palchak ’80 Agr suceeds Raymond Binkley ’55 Agr as the sixth manager in Creamery history.
1987
Peachy Paterno
The new flavor debuts after the Penn State football team’s second national championship and continues to grow in popularity.
2006
Rodney Erickson Building
The Creamery moves into the new $46-million Food Science building with a spacious salesroom, modern processing plant, and plenty of classroom and lab space. To celebrate, the Creamery unearths the Borland time capsule.
2015
150 Years
The Creamery celebrates 150 years of dairy processing with a new flavor, Birthday Bash. The flavor was chosen and named by Penn State state alumni, students, employees, and fans.
