Five Things I Learned at the Tillamook Creamery

I'm going to Bovine University!

Sep 20, 2024

Last week I was treated to a whirlwind press tour of the Tillamook Creamery, where I got up close and personal with lactose and learned all about one of my favorite brands. These were the big takeaways…

I didn’t know how much I needed an ice cream throne until this moment.

Five Things I Learned in Tillamook, Oregon

(Cheese in the) Whiskey in the Jar

Tillamook head chef, Josh Archibald, is wild for this one: On our last night with the T’mook crew, we gathered around a beach bonfire and Archibald treated us to a glass of 12-year-old whiskey with a nugget of their Maker’s Reserve 12-year-aged cheddar plopped in. The idea is that the cheddar mellows the whiskey, and the whiskey mellows the cheddar, and both mellow tf out of the consumer. I’ve heard of people putting cheese in their coffee, but this was a fun surprise. Now I’m wondering what isn’t improved by adding a hunk of cheese…

Moppert’s enthusiasm was infectious, as if I needed to be infected with more ice cream enthusiasm!

Ice Cream is a Cool Mistress

Not many people get to call themselves an ‘ice cream scientist’ with any kind of gravitas, but Ian Moppert is one of the proud few. Tillamook’s Ice Cream Scientist took us on a tasting journey through some of the brand’s most beloved flavors, including their Neapolitan, which very cleverly swaps the typical chocolate third to mudslide. Huge upgrade.

We heard all about Moppert’s ice cream trials and tribulations and got a chance to try some flavors that don’t exist yet, including one that included chocolate covered pretzel pieces and, if memory serves, some sort of peanut butter component. Kind of a Netflix & Chill’d vibe, but more subtle than the Ben & Jerry’s version. The lesson here, learned after Grossy Pelosi requested coffee for the group, was that Tillamook ice cream makes a mean affogato, which is basically breakfast because coffee, so just keep that in mind whenever you need a little Monday morning pick me up.

The House that Cheddar Built

I love a good field trip, even better if it’s a factory tour, but the visit to Tillamook HQ was more fun than I could’ve imagined. It’s a beautifully designed spot that welcomes over a million visitors every year, and now that I’ve been, I totally understand the hype. If you’re out that way, put it on your agenda and enjoy the best mac & cheese you’ll ever have, the full line-up of Tillamook ice cream flavors from their scoop counter, photo opps galore, and some really adorable merch. There’s also a jingle that they pump through the speakers (Tilla, Tilla, Tilla…Tillamoo-ook! [Audible in the video above!]) that is STILL stuck in my head, but in a great way.

Mother loves a merch moment. This cow, Tilly, is Hazel’s new bff. photo: Haley Maria Smith Photography

Marion The Berry-on

Tillamook is all about celebrating the local flavors of Oregon, which I appreciate because they’re completely foreign to me. Take, for example, the marionberry. Created by cross-breeding two blackberry types, the marionberry was introduced in 1956, and it’s been one of the reigning flavors of the Willamette Valley ever since. I had never tried one before, but I’m now totally in love. They’re kind of like a huskier-than-average blackberry with a hint of honeysuckle. It’s particularly lovely in Tilllamook’s yogurt, which isn’t available in Virginia (YET, but let’s all write to them and try to change that??). Several former west coasters asked me to bring the yogurt back in my suitcase, but apparently that’s not how air travel works. Sorry friends!

You’ve Heard of Grass-Fed Cows…

Kate Lott, Tillamook’s Director of Farm Engagement gave us a crash course on all things dairy cow before we headed to Seymour Dairy Farm, a fifth generation operation, to see the ladies for ourselves. Lott dropped a lot(t) of knowledge and made a pretty compelling case for being reincarnated as a dairy cow (15 minutes of work per day followed by 23 hours and 45 minutes of eating, sleeping, and looking cute.)

But the most fascinating thing she shared was that, due to the specific nature of cows’ digestive systems, they are, let’s just say un-picky about what they eat, and they are occasionally fed byproducts from other food production including…GUMMY BEARS. Lucky Charms and Skittles have also made it into the meal plan, so yeah, dairy cows are doing just fine. The whole idea makes me imagine Napoleon Dynamite saying, “This tastes like the cow got into a patch of gummy bears.“

Thank you to the folks at Tillamook and the team at FleishmanHillard for the incredible opportunity. And thank you for reading! Do you love Tillamook as much as I do (doubtful, but I’m listening)? Tell me your favorite T’Mook product in the comments. I need to know if I’m missing something!