Old world flavor saved with an assist from newly applied "once-through" steam technology

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Changes in the dairy industry led to a quality challenge for Goodberry's Frozen Custard.

"It's different than premium ice cream – way different than frozen yogurt, but still a frozen desert. Better than both!"

That's how Will Brozowski, Sales Engineer for Clayton Industries, describes Goodberry's Frozen Custard, the unique, all-natural treat that is considered one of the culinary treasures of the greater Raleigh-Durham region of North Carolina.

"Frozen custard is made differently than ice cream," explains Henry Brathwaite, Goodberry's Vice President. "Ours is more like the original French ice cream recipe Thomas Jefferson brought back from France. He made it in an icehouse at Monticello, the way all ice cream was made before industrialization. It was dense."

"Whereas now most commercial ice cream expands 100% in volume as it freezes, frozen custard has just 10% overrun. It's much thicker."

Innovating for Old World flavor
"In the late-80's, [Goodberry's founder and Henry's father] Harry Braithwaite saw that no one in the country was making fresh, quality ice cream. Mostly it was mass-produced with stabilizer. That's terrible! So, he dedicated himself to formulating the best, all-natural frozen custard product," Henry said.

Harry worked with a dairy plant in the area to develop a frozen custard mix machine (a custom design that is still in use), and moved into an industrial cold storage facility to begin production. Henry's mother, Joan, a former schoolteacher, served as director of operations and training. For a business name they chose "Goodberry's" to express their focus on quality ingredients and fresh toppings. The first and second stores were opened in close succession, with architectural elements mimicking dairy silos and 1930's themes to emphasize the experience of real, old school, natural flavor.

Rescuing quality with Clayton
While growing popularity led to success and more Goodberry's store openings, change was upon the dairy industry. "Our recipe relies on the supply of that richer quality milk we had in the late-80's," said Henry.

"Unfortunately, many dairies were going out of business, or were consolidated and replaced by standard quality liquid milk plants. We needed a process we could bring in-house to recreate thick, rich milk."

Harry contacted a local dairy for guidance, which led to conversations with personnel in the Dairy Science program at North Carolina State University. They quickly hit on the idea of using steam-producing equipment and thought through the basic technical requirements. "The NC State engineers led us to the Clayton Industries technology. It was the equipment for the job," Henry said.

He continued: "What appealed most about Clayton was that it's an instant-on system that takes very little time to produce steam. The small footprint was a real plus for space requirements, it was very easy to assemble, and it was safe. We'll never have to worry about a steam explosion."

Bringing a new process in-house meant building a new company home for Goodberry's. Harry first worked with a local engineering firm to design the process and needed scale for the desired facility, then in 2016 began construction at the new location in Wake Forest.

"We helped them every step of the way," said Clayton's Will Brozowski. "Goodberry's is only getting more popular, so they want to be ready for more production capacity. They were tempted by our 200-boiler horsepower (BHP) steam generator, which is bigger than they need right now. Instead we found a way to save them money in upfront equipment and operating costs. We split the difference and specified a 100 BHP steam generator with a 200 BHP feedwater skid. If business grows as expected they're all set up to add another 100 BHP unit without having to make a substantial capital improvement to ramp up."

Goodberry's began producing product in the new facility in November 2019. "We've vertically integrated all mix production, which includes custom-formulating the dairy for our recipe right here. Most ice cream businesses can't touch that level of quality control," Henry said.

ABOUT GOODBERRY'S: Founded in 1988 by Harry Brathwaite, Goodberry's began with the desire to create the finest frozen dessert available anywhere in the world, made freshly, with honest ingredients, right at the creamery. Goodberry's first creamery opened that September, at the corner of Spring Forest Road and Atlantic Avenue in Raleigh, North Carolina. A second location followed shortly after in Cary, NC. At the time they were introducing frozen custard to the southeastern United States, consumers were looking for a genuinely wholesome, high quality product - so Goodberry's took off. Since those first two locations were established, they've opened seven more in the Triangle Area, and even two in Australia. For more information visit https://www.goodberrys.com/.

ABOUT CLAYTON INDUSTRIES: Clayton Industries is a leading global manufacturer of industrial steam boilers and industrial process steam generation products. The process steam boilers include fired boilers and unfired waste heat boilers. Clayton's unique controlled circulation counter-flow design offers many operational advantages and benefits over other industrial steam boilers. Its control systems are built with the latest technology. Clayton also provides customers with reliable and highly efficient, compact steam-generating systems, mobile steam generators, and steam. The company's design principles make it a favorite choice in today's high-efficiency energy markets. Clayton Industries was established on October 20, 1930, and is headquartered in City of Industry, California, USA. It serves diverse worldwide markets from its industrial steam boiler manufacturing facilities in the United States, Belgium, and Mexico. Direct Sales and Service support centers are also located worldwide. For more information, visit https://www.ClaytonIndustries.com.

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Media Contact

Gina DiMassa, Brand Orbit, 626-791-7954, [email protected]

SOURCE Clayton Industries