A vintage 1930s delivery truck sits on the grounds of Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, TX. The vehicles were refrigerated which allowed for longer distance delivery by the creamery. Blue Bell delivers and services products at retail locations to ensure the best quality and handling. All Blue Bell deliveries are made in company trucks by company employees even today. Photo by Gary Warren
The Ice Cream Parlor is a favorite stop when visiting Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, TX. Visitors can purchase a generous scoop of their favorite ice cream flavor for only $1.00. We did have to sample a few flavors during our visit! Photo by Gary Warren
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
On a recent trip to visit and assist my in-laws we took a side trip after we left Houston. We stopped in Brenham, Tex. a town of about 30,000 which is located about half-way between Houston and Austin.
Why Brenham? Brenham is the home to Blue Bell Creamery, the makers of Blue Bell ice cream. This business has been an institution in Texas for over 100 years. We had passed through Brenham many times but never took the time to stop and visit the creamery. Now was our opportunity!
The company was born in Brenham in1907. It was not called Blue Bell and they did not make ice cream. The Brenham Creamery Company produced one item: butter.
It was not until four years later that the creamery began producing ice cream. In 1911 the creamery was cranking out ice cream at the rate of two gallons per day. By cranking, they were using an ice cream maker with the hand crank and producing ice cream much like you would make homemade ice cream today. Well today, the hand crank has been replaced with and electrical crank, but the process is the same. Two gallons per day; guess you have to start slow.
The Brenham Creamery had some lean years early on but by the 1930s the creamery was a steady supplier of ice cream and butter to many small towns in central Texas. Production methods changed and increased over the years as the company grew.
By the 1930s the name of Brenham Creamery Company was progressing, and the name of the little country creamery changed its name to Blue Bell Creamery. More modern equipment increased production, and the company purchased motorized vehicles for distribution of products. Even as the country was in a depression the creamery continued to grow.
By the late 1950s it was obvious that to grow the company the sales and distribution area had to increase. It was in 1958 that the production of butter was dropped as Blue Bell focused on ice cream production and sales.
Less than 100 miles from Brenham was Houston and that was the obvious target for growth area for Blue Bell. The creamery entered the Houston market in 1960 at a slow but steady pace beginning with the small mom and pop grocery stores. The Houston representative delivered samples day after day in the outskirts of the city as he grew the business.
Blue Bell was marketed in Houston in the late 1960s as being made by the “little creamery in Brenham” with emphasis on the rural lifestyle and location. The campaign was a hit and helped Blue Bell’s growth in Houston to the larger chain stores. Before long, the creamery was seen in almost all Houston stores and became a top seller in the city.
In the late 60s Blue Bell had expanded facilities to handle the increased sales. Officials at Brenham were also experimenting with recipes to make a Homemade Vanilla flavor that tasted like the homemade vanilla from the early years. By 1969 they believed they had perfected the formula, and the first cartons of Homemade Vanilla began shipping to stores. The flavor was a huge success and quickly became the company’s number one selling product. Homemade Vanilla is still the number one seller in 2026.
Continued expansion of sales territory led to the first sales outside of Texas when Blue Bell began selling in Louisiana in 1975. Expansion to other states has been a slow, calculated move and the products can now be found in 23 states. Most distribution is in the south, southeast, midwest, and in parts of the southwest.
Blue Bell ice cream is now manufactured in Alabama and Oklahoma in addition to the Brenham facility. Tours of creameries in Brenham and Alabama are available. The self-guided tours are free and are open daily Monday through Friday. The highlight of the tour may be the Ice Cream Parlor where guest can purchase a generous scoop of any flavor ice cream for only $1.00. A visitors center also serves as the museum which covers many aspects of the company and its products and an onsite country store offers a wide assortment of items and gifts for visitors.
We found the visit to the Brenham location of Blue Bell Creamery to be very interesting. Much of what is learned is by plaques and displays in open areas of the plant. Visitors are able to watch the ice cream production from an observation deck located upstairs above the Ice Cream Parlor. Unfortunately, no photography is allowed from the observation deck which was disappointing for me because it was fascinating watching the process.
The tour also includes a portion of the Blue Bell grounds where the first refrigerated truck is on display as well as a sculpture garden.
We found the Blue Bell employees very helpful and quick to answer questions. Brenham is a nice community with other museums and several activities that appeal to visitors.
In honor of our country’s 250th Anniversary the Ice Cream Parlor has a wall display created with various Blue Bell ice cream containers. Photo by Gary Warren
The visitors center at Blue Bell also serves as a museum featuring many topics about making ice cream as well as the company history since 1907. Photo by Gary Warren
An ice cream freezer from the 1930 is seen at the museum at Blue Bell Creamery. This freezer allowed workers to produce larger “batches” of ice cream. Today the freezers look totally different and allow for continuous production of ice cream. Both methods are a big improvement from the days of hand cranking two gallons per day of ice cream in 1911. Photo by Gary Warren
A life-sized sculpture sits in the sculpture garden at Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, TX. The sculpture features the girl and her cow which is featured on the Blue Bell logo and seen on every carton of Blue Bell ice cream. Photo by Gary Warren
