Gifford's famous ice cream is made in Maine

The Maine ice cream processor focuses on flavors, distribution, customer service and employee relations. Those factors add up to a successful and growing business.

Roger Gifford and his brother John — Roger Gifford (left) and his brother John sell their ice cream and frozen yogurt in scoop shops, groceries and foodservice operations.

Muddy Bean boots ice cream — Gifford's created an ice cream at the invitation of another Maine company, L.L. Bean, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The caramel ripple represents the boot's brown leather and the brownie inclusions call to mind mud, said a Bean representative. Proceeds from the sale of the ice cream will benefit Healthy Hometowns, which encourages an active lifestyle through outdoor recreation.

Family behind Gifford — The family behind the company name includes (from left) Lindsay Gifford-Skilling, Roger Gifford, John Gifford, J.C. Gifford and Ryan Porter.

The office staff at Gifford's includes (front row, from left): Lindsay Gifford-Skilling, Darcy Dow and Teresa Clement. Back row: Sonya Poissonnier, Jodi Salley and Sadie Bowden.

John and Roger have stepped back from the day-to-day operations of the business they built. “It’s a hobby and a habit,” Roger says of coming to the office. The brothers stay in touch through weekly conference calls and monthly board meetings. A third brother, Arland, is the company’s sales manager. Their sister, Donna, is not involved in the ice cream company, but her son Ryan does work in the company, as do John’s son J.C. and another daughter Samantha.

“Being a Gifford doesn’t get you a job, but it does get you an interview,” Roger said. In other words, you have to earn the position. Lindsay, her siblings and cousins are the fifth generation involved in the dairy business. Lindsay, who is not big on formal titles, calls herself the “ice cream goddess.” Obviously, the family’s sense of humor has not skipped a generation. N

The Flavor Board

Gifford’s constantly develops new flavors and combinations, and drops those that don’t perform as well. Five company-owned scoop shops allow Gifford’s to test market new flavors. The following list represents some current flavors.

Black Raspberry

Brownie Batter

Butter Pecan

Cake Batter

Camp Coffee

Caramel Caribou

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Cherry Amaretto Chip

Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate

Chocolate

Chocolate Chip

Chocolate Rainforest Crunch

Cookies N’ Cream

French Vanilla

Grape Nuts

Maine Lobster Tracks

Maine Black Bear

Maine Deer Tracks

Maine Maple Walnut

Maine Wild Blueberry

Mint Chocolate Chip

Moose Tracks

Old Fashioned Vanilla

Pink Peppermint Stick

Pistachio Nut

Peanut Butter Caramel Cookie Dough

Peanut Butter Cup

Smurf (Cotton Candy)

Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberry

Toasted Coconut

Vanilla Bean

Jim Carper is the former editor-in-chief of Dairy Foods.

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