URBAN CHURN

Adam Brackbill’s ice cream nostalgia didn’t start with a cone. Instead, it started with old-fashioned salt-and-ice churns. At family gatherings in Juniata County as a kid, he’d participate in churning ice cream by hand, made with dairy from the family’s own cows.

Fast forward to the present day—Brackbill’s churning pastime has turned into a regional empire of sorts. With three locations, a churning facility, and expansion into wholesale for grocery stores and restaurants, Urban Churn has become integral to the Susquehanna Valley.

One flavor, honey lemon lavender, is a cult favorite—especially as an affogato, Brackbill says. “Folks would think that lemon and lavender with coffee might not turn out well, but it actually does,” he adds about the so-called secret menu item.

Dark soul—a midnight Brazilian cocoa with shards of Lititzbased Wilbur Chocolate’s Brandywine chocolate chunks— offers a deeply bold flavor for chocoholics. “It was supposed to just be a Halloween flavor, but so many people wanted to keep it,” Brackbill says.

In addition to its two locations in Harrisburg and Mechanicsburg, Urban Churn recently expanded into Carlisle. You can also find Brackbill’s creations at certain Giant Food Stores and other retail and restaurant establishments moving forward.