OUR HISTORY
Our history is as important to the quality of our ice cream as the ingredients we choose. The Brown family has been producing great tasting Valpo Velvet ice cream in the same location since 1947 using time-tested recipes, techniques, and high-quality ingredients. After all, making ice cream of this quality takes time.
A few things have changed since the early days but one constant remains - delivering the best quality product without cutting corners on quality ingredients, no matter the cost. We appreciate the patronage of our customers and pledge to continue to produce our ice cream, sherbet, sorbet, and frozen yogurt for people who appreciate the very best.
TIMELINE
1899 - Herb Brown, the patriarch and founder of Brown’s Dairy, was born of Swiss heritage in the town of Monroe, Wisconsin. (Numerous pictures of cows/barns hang in the shoppe today from this farm). He grew up on a dairy farm which is still owned and operated by The Brown Family.
1900 - Valpo Velvet Ice Cream Company’s Monroe Street building is constructed.
1920 - The Valparaiso Home Ice Company opens at the Monroe Street location. At the time, the primary offering was ice delivery.
1921 - A community contest was announced to select the name of the Ice Cream. A winner was chosen and the name Valpo Velvet Ice Cream was born.
1922 - Within two years of opening the Valparaiso Home Ice Company had grown to distribute ice, ice cream, and other dairy products throughout all of Porter County. Due to the rapid growth and new product offerings, the creamery was enlarged to make room for a complete line of dairy products. Refrigerated sub-stations were also established in Chesterton and Hebron.
1923 - Herb Brown graduates from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Dairy Science and moves to Iowa.
1926 - Gordon Brown is born in Iowa.
1927 - Herb moves from Monroe, WI to Chicago and begins his work in the dairy industry, quickly becoming the production manager of the Goldenrod Ice Cream Company and then the Central Ice Cream Company.
1937 - Under the ownership of Fred Bartz, Clover Leaf Dairy from 403 Brown Street to the present Monroe Street location.
1947 - Herbert "Herb" J. Brown's desire to have his own ice cream business is realized when he purchases the Valparaiso Home Ice Company. Brown’s Dairy is born. Herb kept the trade name “Valpo Velvet” but brought his production experience and ice cream recipes to the business.
1949 - After also graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Dairy Science, Gordon W. Brown joined his father and introduced a homemade cottage cheese to their dairy product line, which was very successful.
1971 - Herb retires and sells the business to his son, Gordon Brown.
1973 - Gordon transitioned away from the milk delivery business, selling the majority of it to Dixie Dairy. Thankfully, they held onto the ice cream equipment and Valpo Velvet Ice Cream continued to be manufactured.
1974 - Gordon Brown remodeled the old milk production plant area and converted it to Brown’s Ice Cream Parlor and Restaurant, which was a very popular family restaurant. He continued to operate the restaurant and manufactured Valpo Velvet Ice Cream until his passing in 1995.
1997 - Mike and Mark Brown decided to close their father’s restaurant and remodel and reopen as a sandwich shoppe, which would provide them with more room for ice cream production. On June 8th, the Valpo Velvet Shoppe opens.
2011 - Valpo Velvet begins to establish its fleet of Ice Cream vending trucks with the purchase of a simple ice cream trailer.
2017 - 70 years since Herb Brown purchased Valparaiso Home Ice Company, Valpo Velvet Ice Cream is still produced at the same location it was when Herb Brown took over the business.