Amish Creamery Company Respects Heritage

Located right off the Madeira Beach Causeway, the is one of the first sights seen upon hitting the coast.  A specialty store to end all specialty stores, the Amish Creamery Company was opened by Clint Herlein five years ago in September, 2006; offering "Florida's finest Amish specialty foods and homemade ice creams."  

Following Mennonite traditions, Herlein forgoes the trappings of stereotypical Amish clothing and behavior (i.e. he doesn't sport a beard, he drives a car, and, yes, his shop runs on electricity), but still makes it a point to "respect all of the Amish ways."

This dedication to Amish culture comes through Herlein's partnership with Big Olaf Ice Cream, an Amish ice cream plant located in Sarasota, FL.  This partnership allows the Amish Creamery Company to brings Olaf's large selection (58 flavors) of ice cream to Madeira Beach.  

Differentiating Amish ice cream from its competition is the ice cream's "16% butterfat content" (the highest percentage of butterfat you can have) as well as its all natural ingredients.  Not just the ingredients themselves, but how these ingredients are used is also a large factor.

The Amish Creamery Company's pistachio ice cream is made with roasted pistachios, a step which prevents the nut from becoming soft in the mix.  The Creamery's black cherry ice cream has "hal[ves of] black cherries in it, [where] a lot of people [will] just put shavings or even artificial [flavoring] in it."  This quality control is further strengthened by Herlein's decision to buy local, bringing in "strawberries [from] Plant City."

Besides its namesake ice cream, the Amish Creamery Company also carries a wide array of specialty foods.  Foods that range from jellies and jams (gooseberry, dandelion, peach pecan being local favorites), meats (scrapple, Amish bacon, Lebanon bologna), jarred goods (bread and butter pickles, sweet beets, pickled okra), cookies (peanut butter, snicker-doodle, date bars), and a variety of pop corn (rainbow, red, blue).  

Colorful in more than just name, the pop corns will actually pop with with a tint of their namesake; like Indian corn.  The Creamey's pop corn is so good people actually travel from out of state for it!  "I had a man call the other day from Atlanta," explains Herlein, "[wanting] a case of the lady finger pop corn."  

Continuing a family tradition that has been passed on from mother to son, the Amish Creamery Company hopes to add a wholesome, natural twist to some traditional (and not so traditional) beach treats!