WOOSTER, Ohio — Spring Hill Mentor Jazzy (EX-95) holds a special place in the history of Tom and Chris Lang’s Spring Hill Farm. So it only makes sense that Jazzy, a 4-time All-American and veteran showring winner also holds a special spot on the wall of the building that houses The Milkhouse Ice Cream Shop in downtown Wooster. She also holds a spot on their logo for the shop.

Jazzy had a major impact on the Guernsey breed through her sons, so hanging her picture in the shop is a fitting tribute, according to Lang.

Sharing ownership in the store that “opened softly in April to get the bugs out,” are Dan Basse, Chris Lang, and Matthew, Nate and Joel Steiner of Pine Tree Dairy of Marshallville, Ohio. They operate The Milkhouse Ice Cream Shop along with a staff of about 10 employees. The store is managed by Kayla Overholt, whose husband, Marshall, is the farm manager at Spring Hill Farm.

For years, Spring Hill Farm and Pine Tree Dairy have been known for their impact on the dairy industry both in the show ring and genomic and semen markets. Now they are looking at making an impact on the ice cream market with flavors such as Peanut Butter Overload or Java Chip.

Basse said low milk prices and a desire to sell directly to consumers made the idea for the shop a reality for the two farms. 

“Our goal is to tell our story and be out there with products people enjoy,” said Chris Lang.”

Currently, the product line at The Milkhouse is processed by Mooville Creamery in Michigan. “They have been very helpful to us,” said Chris. “They have offered us a full line of their products.”

The Milkhouse is located in a historic building in downtown Wooster. In bygone times it was a feed/seed/livestock supply store, butcher shop and restaurant. Restoring the building presented a unique set of challenges, according to Joel Steiner.

“We tried to retain as many of the original features of the building as possible, including the floors and walls,” Joel pointed out.

Joel said they are in the process of completing their own processing facility in Burbank, Ohio, processing milk from their dairy farm adjacent to the creamery. The dairy is a robotic operation with a mixed herd of Jerseys and Holsteins.

The mix of Jersey and Holstein milk has a higher fat content which makes the ice cream taste creamier and richer, according to Joel. They have focused on selecting for the A2A2 protein in their milk.

“Our goal is to have the Burbank location online by the end of the year,” he added. “The biggest challenge has been all of the hoops we have had to jump through during the inspection process.”

The Burbank location will process milk from the adjacent dairy and once it is up and running the product line will include milk, ice cream, and cheese curds, and they plan to add butter to the lineup eventually.

“Our goal is to get our products out, grow the business and get our products in more local business,” said Overholt. “We want to support the local community the best we can.”

Bob Reynolds, mayor of the city of Wooster, was on hand to welcome the new business to town and took time to enjoy some ice cream.

“This is a nice use of a historic building and a great way to support a local industry,” said Reynolds.

Chris Lang extended his thanks to the city of Wooster and neighboring businesses for their support. “We are thrilled to be here. They have embraced us as partners with the other businesses,” he stated.