The Aggie Creamery and Aggie Chocolate Factory are
BEST OF STATE The most delicious results of research and teaching at Utah State are now Utah’s Best of State ice cream, specialty cheeses, and culinary chocolate. Aggie Ice Cream and cheeses from the Aggie Creamery have been favorites of students, alumni, and campus visitors for generations and relative newcomer, Aggie Chocolate, has won over artisan chocolate lovers. Utah’s Best of State Awards recognize organizations and businesses that are outstanding in their field of work. Over 100 judges review nominations before casting their votes and evaluate each candidate organization or product on: achievements in each field of endeavor; innovation or creativity in their approaches, techniques, methods, or processes; and the contribution their business makes to the quality of life in Utah. The Aggie Creamery is a unique processing facility, teaching and research center, and storefront all wrapped in one package that produces award-winning cheese and ice cream. Milk sourced from USU’s Caine Dairy (which has won dairy industry accolades of its own as a top-ranked college dairy) is processed
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Cultivate | Spring/Summer 2021
By Madison Leak
and packaged in the Anthon Ernstrom Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences Building by students and staff — every step of process at the hands of Aggies. The Aggie Creamery is home to 25 beloved ice cream flavors, and is also a successful cheese-making establishment, with its hard Parmesan-style Aggiano cheese and Old Juniper, an aged cheddar, earning gold status at the Utah Cheese Awards. Aggiano is now the most award-winning cheese in the state, earning the gold status every year of this contest. The Aggie Chocolate Factory is the only beanto-bar facility operated by an academic institution. It primarily produces unique chocolate with only two ingredients: sustainably produced, fair trade cocoa and sugar. The results are chocolates with flavor profiles unique to their cacao’s country of origin. The factory has allowed hundreds of USU students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to experiences with chocolate and state-of-the-art equipment. In addition to teaching and mentoring USU students, faculty and staff share their expertise with industry and small food operations in Utah and around the world. �
