Cream o’ Galloway, the Dumfries and Galloway Ice Cream Maker and Visitor Centre, has announced it is to re-open in mid-October under the new management of Brymor Ice Cream from North Yorkshire.
Brymor, based at High Jervaulx Farm, Masham, has been manufacturing award winning premium dairy ice cream on the farm for 40 years. The new ownership has been agreed in principle pending completion later this year.
Brymor shares much in common with Cream o’ Galloway, including a farm-based ice cream parlour, café and visitor attraction alongside ice cream and sorbet manufacturing, of a wide range of flavours.
The company is also recognised for the high quality of its ice cream. Brymor won awards at the Great Yorkshire Show earlier this year for their Madagascan Vanilla and Amarena Black Cherry Whim Wham ice cream and has previously secured prestigious 3-star accolades at the Guild of Fine Foods Great Taste Awards.
Paul Hodgson, who is the owner of Brymor, is familiar with Dumfries and Galloway, having grown up on a farm outside Balmaclellan. He commented:
“We are delighted to be collaborating with the team at Cream of Galloway, and I’m pleased that re-opening the visitor centre secures the jobs of the current members of staff. Many people have had wonderful and happy times at Cream o’ Galloway Visitor Centre over the years, and long may this continue.
“Cream o’ Galloway is a fabulous, cherished, and loved ice cream, and we are looking forward to increasing the stockists for it. Production of ice cream on-site has already increased, and the visitor centre will re-open on Saturday 14th October.
“There are numerous synergies and similarities to Brymor in North Yorkshire, which is also a quality farm-made ice cream. We are looking forward to building upon the excellent legacy created by David and Wilma Finlay. On a personal note, it is particularly exciting to come back home to Galloway.”
The surprise announcement comes less than three weeks after the visitor centre opened its doors for what was expected to be the final time on Sunday 17th September, after founders Wilma and David Finlay stepped back from the business.
Cream o’ Galloway ice cream will continue to be made to the same recipe and range of flavours, such as the hugely popular flavours of Gooseberry & Elderflower and Caramel Shortbread.
Jane Malcolm, General Manager of Cream o’ Galloway, said:
“This has been an extraordinary couple of weeks, with sadness about the closure of the visitor centre quickly replaced with optimism about exciting new possibilities for the business.
“I’m looking forward to working with Paul to explore growth opportunities for the ice cream, and we are delighted to be able to re-open the doors to the visitor centre once again.”
Cream o’ Galloway, near Gatehouse of Fleet, has been one of Galloway’s most popular visitor attractions for the last 20 years. Launched in 1994, the luxury ice cream is made with milk from the Finlay’s dairy farm. A small play area was introduced to the site in 1995 and the visitor centre opened in 2000.
Rainton Farm, where Cream o’ Galloway is based, and its sister business The Ethical Dairy, remain owned and managed by the Finlay family. Milk from the pioneering cow-with-calf dairy farm will continue to be used in the manufacture of Cream o’ Galloway ice cream.
