Stephanie Clark joined Iowa State University in 2009, passionate and ready to equip students for work in the dairy industry — but something was missing: a creamery.
Clark realized how much she valued the creameries she had utilized as an associate professor at Washington State University and worked at when a student at Cornell University. Clark’s specialty in food science is dairy, and the creamery was the perfect outlet to share her passion with students.
Relaunching a creamery on Iowa State’s campus after, what at the time was a nearly 40-year hiatus, was no simple task. Partnerships needed to be formed and strengthened with local dairy producers, and a venue and funding needed to be secured. Clark answered phone calls from local producers, helped solve production problems, and collaborated on key research to further advance practices in the dairy industry.
In 2015, she launched the Iowa Quality Dairy Products Showcase at the Iowa State Fair — uplifting top dairy products from across the state and continuing to develop and establish valuable relationships. Two years later, bolstered by collaborations and local support, renovations began, new equipment arrived, safety inspections were scheduled, and formulations were created. The ISU Creamery was inching closer to a return to campus.
One ingredient in Clark’s recipe for a successful relaunch was storytelling, using the sweet medium of ice cream to shine a spotlight on Cyclone history.
“We decided from the start we were going to make sure that all of our ice cream represented Iowa State people, places, and traditions,” Clark says. “That’s why every ice cream tells its own story.”
Take, for example, Legacy, the creamery’s inaugural flavor that was born out of a student naming and flavor contest held in 2017. The peanut butter and butterscotch ice cream with chocolate-covered rice crisps honors alumnus George Washington Carver (1894, 1896), for his research on peanuts, and alumna Mildred Day (’28), who co-invented Rice Krispies Treats.
This past August, the creamery celebrated its fifth anniversary since its return to campus. Alongside Legacy, the creamery now offers more than 25 unique ice cream flavors that celebrate Iowa Staters and points of Cyclone pride.
Clark’s passion and initial vision for the creamery have been fully realized. Clark retired from Iowa State in 2023 from her role as a professor in the department of food science and human nutrition and as the director of the ISU Creamery, but her legacy continues on beyond the ice cream.
“As soon as I heard about the creamery on campus, I knew it was a place I wanted to work,” says Giuliana Esposito (’25), now a research and development scientist at Blue Bunny.
For Esposito, her time at the ISU Creamery solidified her passion for the dairy industry and equipped her with skills she uses in her full-time role.
“Being at the creamery, and even prior, I really enjoyed ice cream. I mean, who doesn’t? But working at the creamery, it solidified that feeling of, ‘Oh, I really like this,’” Esposito says. “Having that previous knowledge of working in a production role at the creamery helps me understand the differences between machinery that I work with on a daily basis, and why it’s important.”
The creamery employs 20 students each school year and six in the summertime; these students represent a range of campus departments with some studying public relations, meteorology, computer engineering, food sciences, and more.
“One of my goals is to keep our student retention high,” says Danielle Christofferson, production manager at the creamery. “This is a fun place to work, it’s not open-heart surgery, it’s making and serving ice cream.”
Along with serving ice cream sold by the scoop, students help produce and sell cheese curds, Cyclone-shaped cheese blocks, ice cream sandwiches, and pre-packaged ice cream in a variety of sizes.
With its Iowa State-themed ice cream, workforce-ready employees, and community collaboration, the ISU Creamery tells the sweet story of Iowa State’s impact one scoop at a time.
Visit creamery.iastate.edu/hours for directions, hours, parking information, and more.