FEATURED STORY FROM THE BEST OF BG 2019 ISSUE
Eric’s Ice Cream
Innovation And Always Developing New Flavors Is Central To Eric’s Ice Cream Success
What started as a small town soft-serve ice cream shop has turned into five locations and a mobile shop, complete with all handcrafted, homemade ice cream. Eric’s Ice Cream Factory can be found in Defiance, Bryan, and Bowling Green, Ohio and wherever the mobile shop happens to be.
“A lot of the times it seems I was in the right place at the right time,” Gerber said. “We weren’t even looking to be in BG, but it wasn’t too long before we ended up here and haven’t looked back.”
With a diverse recipe book of over 130 flavors, it’s evident that inspiration can come from just about anywhere. And the extensive list allows Eric’s Ice Cream Factory to have a rotating seasonal list, but also keep the classics year-round.
“We usually have the typical chocolate chip, mint chip, black raspberry chip out all year,” Gerber said. “Those are the classics. But they aren’t any less special.”
Black Raspberry chip is one of their most popular flavors in the summertime, but even this classic took time to perfect.
“It took about 12 three-gallon batches to get this one right. It doesn’t always take that many tries, sometimes we get it on the first one. But it has to be right,” Gerber said.
“We also have our own bakery at one of the shops in Defiance. We bake all the cookies, all the brownies, cakes, all that goes into our ice creams, we bake there,” Gerber said. “The oatmeal cookies that are in our most popular flavor, Monster cookie, are my 81-year-old mother’s oatmeal cookie recipe.”
To Eric Gerber and his team, its more than a couple of ice cream shops, it’s a community connection, a place to spend time, and something to accompany your memories. With hopes and plans of expanding his business and franchising in the future, this is just the beginning for Eric’s Ice Cream Factory.
“We’re in the business of making people happy. That’s what we do,” Gerber said. “If there’s other people out there that want to make people happy, come on board and we will show them how to do it.”
AN ADDITIONAL FEATURED STORY ABOUT ERICS ICE CREAM CAN BE FOUND THE Best of BG – 2016 ISSUE