Bart’s Ice Cream
Imagine owning a company that produces up to eight thousand pints of ice cream per day and still personally ensuring that every hand filled pint is filled to the brim and not lacking in inclusions. That’s Tom Schmidt, owner of Bart’s Ice Cream. The ice cream is still Tom’s pride and obsession, even after owning the company for 8 years, and he does everything he can to make sure each pint represents his vision for the brand — clean, natural, quality, and local.
We also encourage you to imagine a spoonful of ice cream that almost ruins all other ice creams. One that has the perfect balance of decadence and freshness, with a full-bodied mouthfeel you need to close your eyes for. This is a “Super Premium” designated ice cream that can only be produced by using super premium ingredients, like 16% butterfat. Bart’s is committed to using these high-quality ingredients and sourcing them as locally as possible — a local food economy double-whammy we are more than here for. Bart’s famous, hard-to-keep-in-stock Strawberry ice cream uses strawberries from Warner Farm in Sunderland, MA. They use ginger from Old Friends Farm in Amherst, MA and maple from Ryan Brothers in Colrain, MA for other flavors, among other local ingredients. Where many companies might not think twice about making cost saving substitutions, Bart’s remains steadfast in their dedication to exceptional quality. They refuse to compromise on the flavor of the product because Bart’s is not inspired by gain — it’s inspired by good ice cream.
Sarah, Bart’s Production and Office Manager, told me about an instance where they had no choice but to substitute their normal chocolate chips for one month due to third-party production and supply chain issues. There are two notable things about this brief time in Bart’s history: 1. The company worked hard to find an acceptable substitute for the one month. They would not feel comfortable putting something into the ice cream they didn’t fully stand behind. 2. The ice cream eaters still noticed the difference! Bart’s eaters are quite discerning because they are so loyal. It’s a two way street — Bart’s truly cares about the experience of the people eating their ice cream AND the ice cream tends to naturally create loyal fans as a consequence of its quality. Sarah says she has fielded calls to the office from customers who just wanted to express their love of the ice cream directly to the company. What deeper satisfaction could you ask for as an ice cream producer?
Bart’s also treats their employees well. Every employee can take home as much ice cream as they want at any time. Sarah is down to just 5 or 6 pints in her freezer from the 10-20 she used to snag. Her daughter is a happy ice cream eater (and official Bart’s taste tester)! If you are wondering what a long-time Bart’s employee recommends, it’s Peanut Butter Paradise, which happens to be the most labor intensive to produce due to the number of inclusions that are hand mixed into the ice cream.
Looking to the future, Bart’s is hoping to expand their selection of seasonal flavors and they are currently looking into their special book of past flavors and thinking about which ones they might want to bring back to life. It’s an exciting time!
For the curious, here are the flavors available at the Brattleboro Food Co-op in July:
Vanilla — Flavored with pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla and a blend of egg custard. It tastes the way you remember ice cream tasting.
Ginger — Ginger ice cream with ginger from Old Friends Farm in Amherst, MA.
Mass Mocha (an ode to MASS MoCA for the art fans out there) — Fresh brewed coffee ice cream with espresso filled chocolate chunks, dark chocolate chunks, and a fudge swirl.
Peanut Butter Paradise — Peanut butter ice cream with dark chocolate chunks, fudge brownies, and a peanut butter swirl.
Coffee Heath Crunch — Coffee ice cream with chunks of Heath Bars.
Moose Trails — Vanilla ice cream swirled with mini peanut butter cups and our fudge sauce.
Mint Chip — Mint ice cream with dark chocolate chunks.
Deep Purple Cow — Black raspberry ice cream combined with white and dark chocolate chunks.
Malted Vanilla — Vanilla ice cream blended with pure malt – just like an old fashioned malted milkshake!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough — Vanilla ice cream with chunks of cookie dough and dark chocolate chips.
Three Geeks & a Redhead —Coconut ice cream, dark chocolate chunks, fudge brownies, and a red raspberry swirl.
Midnight Chocolate — Rich chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate mousse and extra Dutch cocoa.
Local Maple Cream — Vanilla ice cream combined with pure maple syrup from Ryan Brothers in Colrain, MA.
Bart’s Ice Cream Demo! Saturday, July 19, 11:30 am-2:30 pm.
Written by Sarah Galgano
