Savor the summer: Spokane’s coolest dairy delights

No matter your politics, it’s hard to dislike President Reagan’s 1984 proclamation designating July as National Ice Cream Month. So here’s a presidential directive we can all agree on: go try (or retry) some local scoop shops, bakeries, and eateries that are setting new standards for ice cream, gelato, yogurt, and other real-dairy summer treats and products. The following Spokane-area small businesses are doing amazing things with locally produced dairy, locally-sourced ingredients, and innovative flavor combinations.

The Scoop, a family-run ice cream shop in a south Spokane neighborhood, with a second location in Kendall Yards, has been a Spokane institution since 2003. And with flavors like peppermint Oreo, mud pie, watermelon Dole soft serve, and pistachio pineapple marshmallow, it’s no wonder.  

Owner Jennifer Davis has been using Darigold (a local farmer-owned cooperative and subsidiary of the Northwest Dairy Association) products since The Scoop started making its own ice cream in 2014. Originally the decision to do so was based on a lack of storage space, but then this turned into a great selling point: customers are getting the freshest ice cream around.

“We didn’t have anywhere to put it so we would have to pretty much go out every day and get milk and cream because we didn’t have enough refrigeration or space, and it (Darigold) was easy to get,” said Davis. “It’s also easily identifiable as a Washington product and we wanted to use local products as much as possible.”

The Scoop uses milk from Darigold as well as cream from Country Morning Farms, a family-owned farm in Warden, Wash. Davis said not only does this approach provide an excellent opportunity to support and celebrate local farmers, but it also shows her efforts to seek out different ingredients in order to “create the perfect ice cream product.”

“You’re getting what we made yesterday,” Davis said. “We have someone making ice cream eight or nine hours a day. We don’t have anywhere to put it so we can only get a day or two ahead.”

Another popular sweet shop stop is miFLAVOUR, at the base of Spokane’s South Hill on Sprague Avenue. It’s a French café and bakery that serves delicious and gorgeous sandwiches and desserts. The eatery’s team of chefs also use Darigold heavy cream in their gelato and baked products.

Featuring fresh-churned gelato, chewy macarons, custom cakes, and more, it’s all created from scratch. Standout items on the menu include wild huckleberry-flavored macarons, chocolate dirt-flavored gelato, individual sized tiramisu, crème brulee, chocolate croissants, and homemade chocolate bars. If you’re watching carbs, the Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake is a decadent but safe option.

Columbia Community Creamery (CCC), located in Chewelah, is the nation’s only nonprofit milk processor. It has a mission of assisting small local farms in providing food security for the surrounding rural community, rebuilding local milk processing, and supporting healthy and happy cows.

“A board of volunteers was noticing that there isn’t local processing; the dairy industry in our area is basically dying because farmers don’t have great access to market and places to sell their products locally,” said Brittany Bilte, CCC Executive Director.

Customers are also benefitting, with new access to local dairy products like milk, cream, cheese, yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, and scratch-made ice cream.

“We have dipped ice cream at the creamery and quarts and pints for people to take home,” said Bilte. “We make it start to finish at the plant using the cleanest ingredients we can find.”

CCC has six core flavors: vanilla, chocolate, vanilla cookies and cream, chocolate cookies and cream, mocha, and coffee. The staff is also experimenting with dipped ice cream flavors, currently offering s’mores and mint chocolate chip by the cone or cup. The creamery recently launched a line of yogurt as well.

In addition to the taste, quality, and freshness of their products, Bilte says the creamery’s business model appeals to customers.

“I think people really want to put a face to the product they’re buying. You can see into the plant from the retail store,” she said. “They can see our team bottle the milk. People are able to meet our farmers. It’s important for people to know where their food is coming from.”

The Shop, in Spokane’s Perry District, is a neighborhood eatery, bakery, and coffee shop. Like The Scoop and miFLAVOUR, chefs at The Shop also use Darigold products, particularly in treats like cinnamon rolls, brownies, specialty coffee drinks, and homemade creamy ice cream. Whether you prefer classic flavors or unique creations, The Shop has a rotating selection and something for everyone.

 

Overall, there are plenty of local options for ice cream and other treats, no matter the season or reason.

As Jennifer Davis of The Scoop says, “It’s good whether you’re happy or sad — ice cream is there for you.”

 

To find more local Washington Dairy brands or to find a scoop shop near you, visit tastewadairy.com/