Great News About Giffords Ice Cream!

It was a little over one year ago that a fire accidentally broke out in the Skowhegan production plant where Maine's famous Gifford's Ice Cream is made.

The damage the fire caused made it impossible for the company to create its creamy concoctions and forced the ice cream makers to think outside the box, and outside of the state, to find ways to fill the freezers of Gifford's stands around the state.

For more than 40 years, the family-owned company has produced delicious hard-serve ice cream, but when fire struck, the family leaned on friends and fellow ice cream makers, some as far away as Florida, to produce batches for them, until the repairs to the Skowhegan operation could be made. 

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Gifford's lovers everywhere got some good news this week, as the company announced that the repairs have been finished and the plant is once again up and running.

According to a press release put out this week, Gifford's is making ice cream again, and bringing back some flavors the other producers weren't able to make last year.

"To get back up and running, the family-owned ice cream company has carved out a smaller production area—roughly 30% of what its actual production area will be once the factory is fully restored—and has two lines running to produce quarts and bulk flavors for its wholesale customers. Meanwhile, Gifford’s continues to rebuild its offices and larger production area. The production plan currently prioritizes fan-favorite flavors that the co-packer partners were not able to make in 2023 like Toasted Coconut and Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip Frozen Yogurt."

The company says it will still utilize its relationships with other producers to fill larger orders and keep the stands stocked, but the plan is to get everything back into the hands of the local producers by next year.

"Over the next several months, Gifford’s will continue to bring production in-house and wind down reliance on co-packers in order to build the company’s inventory levels for all its distribution channels while working to restore full production capabilities by the end of 2024."

While no official date has been shared as to when the Gifford's Ice Cream stands will open across the state, it's historically been at the end of March, the beginning of April.

We'll let you know when you can get your cones, just as soon as they release the dates.

Want to see what the process of making Gifford's Ice Cream looks like? Check this out!