Farm businesses, tasty ice cream in Lewes, Bridgeville
Business savvy farmers learned long ago that the secret to surviving in agriculture was — to coin an overused phrase — do not put all your eggs in one basket.
Indeed, diversifying means that farmers will not have to depend solely on one crop or a single commodity for their livelihood.
As history has showed, factors like market demand, weather or some other variable can mean a roller coaster ride for families relying on farm income.
And that economic reality was the reason behind a decision by two of Sussex County's largest dairy farms some years ago to enhance milk income by adding retail ice cream stands on site. The rational was, offer a tasty, rich and creamy farm-made product that would attract cash paying customers — and provide a little stability to the overall dairy income.
Over time, it has been obvious that the theory seemed to have merit for the two local dairy farms, based on reactions from customers at the Vanderwende Farm Creamery in Bridgeville and the Hopkins Farm Creamery in Lewes.
"It takes us an hour to get here and we make the trip at least 10 times a year," said Ted Kramer of Edgewater, Maryland, as he enjoyed a huge cone of "Holy Cow" at the Vanderwende Farm Creamery.
"We stop here every time we come to the beach," said Vongell Lugo of Washington, D.C., while waiting at the window for a cone of farm-made Hopkins ice cream.
We never wrote anything down
Both the Vanderwendes in Bridgeville and the Hopkins family in Lewes decided some years ago to diversify their significant dairy operations with the addition of farm made ice cream. And both families built retail outlets to sell their tasty homemade concoction.
Walter Hopkins Jr. — "Burli" — said the idea for an ice cream parlor came up when the family did its annual review of the financial health of the dairy farm, which, with 575 milking cows, is Delaware's largest.
But the context was even more ominous. With its 1,000 acres of prime farm land a short distance from growth-happy areas around Coastal Highway, "we were getting a lot of pressure from developers," Hopkins said. "But we didn't want to do that, we wanted to stay."
In that context, the elder Hopkins suggested a retail outlet.
"My dad said, 'some dairy farms are doing ice cream so maybe that is something we should look into,'" Burli Hopkins said.
Moving cautiously, Hopkins said they did "four or five years of research", which included evaluating the possibility of opening an ice cream stand away from the farm.
"Off site startup costs were way too high, way too expensive," he said.
"We decided instead to convert one of our dairy barns," he said.
But, first they had to learn how to make ice cream.
So, as the parlor was being built in one of their barns, Hopkins went to a school in North Carolina, where he learned to make ice cream.
And since the ice cream mix must be made from pasteurized milk, the family turned to Cloverland Dairy in Baltimore for its needs.
BACKGROUND: Take a trip down Maryland's Ice Cream Trail
The Hopkins ice cream stand opened at the farm on Route 9 in July 2008, with the family optimistic but uncertain about its potential.
"We didn't need to worry because it was an instant success," Hopkins said. "No question, we way underestimated the number of customers we were going to get."
Though Hopkins made all the ice cream initially, eventually they hired staff to keep up with the demand. He also realized they had to start keeping production records so the ice cream had consistent flavors.
"That first year, we never wrote anything down," he said.
But, from the beginning, the Hopkins tried to use locally grown fruits in their ice cream. This time of year, flavors using local blueberries and peaches are among the 30 or so different choices on the menu.
Now, the ice cream stand — open all year — has a staff of 50, including six workers and a manager who make all the ice cream.
The popularity of the ice cream is obvious: On a warm summer night, the lines waiting to order are long. But customers say the wait is worth it. Plus, parents can walk their children over to the barn to see young calves.
"This is great ice cream," Lugo said, as he finished off his cone.
Hopkins also said they have expanded their wholesale ice cream sales and their tasty flavors can be found on the menus of several local restaurants, including the popular Fish On in Lewes.
And, despite the fact that the ice cream stand is now in its eighth year, Hopkins said gross sales continue to "increase by 50 percent every year."
"The community really has embraced it," he said.
It's absolutely delicious
In Bridgeville, the Vanderwende family, in the dairy business since 1954, also contemplated new sources of income. The 4,000 acre farm has about 225 milking cows.
"The way farming is, I just decided this was something we needed to look at," said Donna Vanderwende. "But it took me two years to convince my husband, James."
Ultimately, the Vanderwendes decided to construct a stand-alone ice cream shop right on the farm, which is on Route 404, a popular tourist route to Delaware beaches.
While the new building was under construction, the Vanderwendes attended a course at Penn State and another in New Jersey to learn how to make ice cream — and run a retail business.
Like all retail food outlets, they have to pay strict attention to cleanliness throughout the entire ice cream operation and can expect routine state health inspections.
With all the added factors "it sure is a little different than just getting on a tractor," she said.
But the Vanderwendes did have one advantage: Several family ice cream recipes were passed on to them "and we did a lot of experimenting," Donna Vanderwende said.
No question the ice cream is a huge success — and has been ever since they opened the doors in 2012. The store is open all year and currently has a staff of 20.
"I think our ice cream is very creamy, very tasty," she said.
Ted and Laura Kramer make the one hour trek to Bridgeville because they have never found anything local to match the richness and flavor of Vanderwende's ice cream.
"It is absolutely delicious," Laura Kramer said, as she enjoyed a tasty-looking dish of maple walnut ice cream topped with hot fudge.
With the success of the Bridgeville shop, the Vanderwendes outfitted a truck so they could sell ice cream at events throughout the region. And they are putting the finishing touches on a new ice cream shop in Greenwood.
Asked to assess their foray into the ice cream business, Donna Vanderwende said, "It is a lot of hard work but we love it."
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IF YOU GO
Hopkins Farm Creamery
18186 Dairy Farm Road, Lewes
Vanderwende Farm Creamery
4003 Seashore Highway, Bridgeville