Gifford’s Family-Owned Stands to Open for Summer Season

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Kelsey Matheson
Ethos
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Gifford’s Family-Owned Stands to Open for Summer Season

New Flavors and Tradition Giving Mainers Something to Look Forward To

 

SKOWHEGAN, MAINE – May 21, 2020 – Early signs of Summer are popping up everywhere in Maine, from warmer temperatures to one of the most anticipated signs of all – the opening of Gifford’s family-owned ice cream stands. Gifford’s stands were originally set to open March 20, but Gifford’s made the decision to push this back to ensure customers and employees remained safe and protected from Maine’s COVID-19 threat. As the state slowly begins to reopen with safety protocols in place, the Gifford’s family is celebrating the coming of warmer days by opening its Farmington stand on Thursday, May 21 at 12pm, and Waterville and Bangor stands on Friday, May 22 at 12pm. The Auburn stand will be open soon, but a date and time have not been confirmed yet. The family held a soft opening for its Skowhegan stand on Thursday, May 15 to ensure social distancing guidelines were upheld and customers felt comfortable. In true Gifford’s fashion, the opening was a roaring (and safe) success..

“Opening our family-owned stands is a day we look forward to each year,” said Lindsay Skilling, Gifford’s CEO and a fifth-generation ice cream maker. “While this year’s opening didn’t go as originally planned back in March, the few extra months we’ve had to wait make this week all the sweeter. We’re so excited for the opportunity to finally reconnect with our fans in person from a safe distance. We have protocols in place to keep people safe and hope that Mainers will come test out our new flavors and kick off the Summer season.”

Safety at the Stands in the Time of Coronavirus

Safety is a top priority for Gifford’s Ice Cream as they work to reopen the family-owned stands. Strict employee protocols for masking, scooping, sanitization, and more are in place to maintain the safety of those ordering. Additionally, customer guidelines are as follows:

  • Limit your group to one or two people when placing orders
  • No pets or children are allowed on the counters
  • Maintain a distance of six feet from others whenever possible
  • Adhere to spacing lines in place when waiting in line for the window
  • After placing your order, please move to the designated pick-up area
  • Remain behind the pick-up line until your order is ready
  • Scoopers will place your order on the counter and call your name; please note that all orders will be packed “to go”
  • After the window is closed, please pick up your order and return to your vehicle

If you have any questions about Gifford’s physical distancing guidelines, please call 1-800-950-2604.

Something to Celebrate…Five New Flavors!

Gifford’s Ice cream lovers will have something to look forward to this season. Each stand location will be serving up the company’s popular Patriot’s-themed Dough Your Job flavor, as well as introducing five new flavors including:

  • Cinnamon Granola Crunch – Cinnamon granola clusters mixed into buttery ice cream churned with brown sugar cinnamon
  • German Chocolate Cake – Blast from the past! Thick caramel coconut rippled through rich chocolate ice cream with double-chocolate cake crunch
  • Lemon Berry Shortcake – Maine wild blueberry ripples in refreshing lemon ice cream stocked with shortcake pieces
  • Strawberry Cake Crunch – A swirled mashup of creamy vanilla ice cream, sweet strawberry ice cream and a yummy white cake crunch
  • Peanut Butter Caramel Cookie Dough – Call it a comeback! Back by popular demand – chunks of cookie dough and giant chocolate chips dot peanut butter ice cream swirled with caramel sauce

Two Major Milestones: Skowhegan and Waterville Stands Celebrate Multi-Decade Anniversaries

The company is celebrating two milestones in 2020: the Skowhegan stand – Gifford’s first – is celebrating 40 years in the community, while the Waterville stand is celebrating 30 years of putting smiles on people’s faces and ice cream in their bellies. While the family will not be hosting anniversary celebrations at the stands this summer, they hope to celebrate these momentous anniversaries next year.

Gifford’s Chooses Charitable Focus for 2020: School Backpack Programs

To support New England kids in living to their full potential, Gifford’s has chosen to support various regional Backpack Programs that provide food and school supplies to children in need. If you’d like to learn more and/or support Gifford’s charitable giving for 2020, please visit Gifford’s website.

Gifford’s 2019 Business Recap

Gifford’s Famous Ice Cream experienced 5.6% growth in 2019, fueled by a 26% growth in its retail division, making it another strong year for the company. Additionally, Gifford’s is now available in Market Basket stores and has partnered with Tankersley Foods – this means that the lucky people of Arkansas and parts of Oklahoma now get to experience a taste of New England.

New England Sports Partnerships

Gifford’s humble beginnings and small-town Maine success story continue to echo one key message: this is the world’s best ice cream and it is made in New England, for New England. With this rallying call for New Englanders, Gifford’s will continue its partnerships with two major New England sports teams in 2020 as the official ice cream of both the New England Patriots® and the Boston Bruins®. Power Play Fudge, official ice cream flavor of the Bruins, and Dough Your Job, official ice cream flavor of the Patriots, will be available at all Gifford’s family-owned stands and throughout New England. While sports seasons may look a little different this year, the family still encourages you to throw on your jersey and grab a cone to celebrate your favorite teams in and out of season.

 

About Gifford’s Famous Ice Cream

Gifford’s Famous Ice Cream is a fifth-generation, family-owned company that still makes ice cream the old-fashioned way – from scratch, with fresh milk and cream from local dairy farms. Their antique Cherry Burrell freezers slow churn the most delicious, creamiest ice cream possible to make the world’s best ice cream in New England for New Englanders. The company has earned numerous international and national “First Place” and “World’s Best” awards for its premium ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sherbet. Gifford’s is also the official ice cream of the New England Patriots and Boston Bruins and has created signature flavors for each team and their fans. As New England’s ice cream, the company sells its products throughout New England and has five famous ice cream stands in Maine. For more information visit www.giffordsicecream.com. Follow Gifford’s Ice Cream on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.