Ice cream retailing discussed

They made their pilgrimage from all over the world, from as far as Australia, Greece and Ecuador, to learn the secrets unveiled this week at the University.

The subject? Ice cream.

This week, State College is the Mecca of the ice cream-making world. As it does every year, the University is hosting an eight-day course on ice cream manufacturing at the Nittany Lion Inn, 200 W. Park Ave. This year, it was coupled with a four-day seminar on ice cream retailing, which was previously held in Lancaster.

"It's world-renowned," said Dick Warren, who organized the retailing seminar. He said other universities once offered similar courses, but because of the fame of the Ice Cream Short Course, "Penn State has stolen all the people."

News of the course is often spread by word of mouth or by advertisements in ice cream magazines. Others hear of the University's ice cream track record through Ben & Jerry's. When they were beginning their business, both Ben and Jerry took a $5 University correspondence course on ice cream making.

While the short course is geared toward large-scale manufacturing, the retailing seminars focus on smaller ice cream businesses. Running until today at The Atherton Hotel, 125 S. Atherton St., the seminars give information on subjects such as "Theory of Dipping Ice Cream" and "What Makes Frozen Desserts Sell?"

Organizers Warren and Ed Marks hope the seminars will give beginners a taste of the realities of the ice cream business.

"Everybody thinks running an ice cream shop would be a neat thing to do," Warren said.

While he wants to give people confidence that they can do the job, he said they also should be aware that selling ice cream can be as difficult as any business.

Meanwhile, more experienced manufacturers can learn the science of calculating the right mix for ice cream and how to create your own flavors from the Ice Cream Short Course.

For some of those traveling from other countries, the course brings a new perspective on what ice cream is like around the world.

"There are different ideals of what ice cream should be," said Eric Woodrow, of Brisbane, Australia, who read about the course in a magazine.

In Australia, he said, ice cream is generally lighter, with fewer fat products.

"It's given me a wide perspective on the dairy industry," he added.

Perhaps the most important aspect for those who take the course is the opportunity to talk to others in the industry. Most of the participants stay together at the Nittany Lion Inn during the two weeks and relax by telling stories of their experiences in the business.

"The most important part is the contacts I've made," said Denise Porter, who works for Wendy's International, Inc. in Boston.