THE award winning success of Cheshire Farm Ice Cream has been culminated in the accreditation of ‘Highly Commended’ at the High Sheriff’s Award for Enterprise. The awards were held last night in the grounds of Chester University, where the Cheshire Farm Ice Cream representatives were proud to attend.
The award was introduced in 2006, by the then High Sheriff of Cheshire, David Briggs, to recognise outstanding achievement by enterprises in Cheshire, Halton and Warrington, who are private sector companies with a turnover of at least £500,00 and between 5 and 250 employees.
Judges were impressed by the size and scale of the Cheshire Farm Ice Cream operation, acknowledging the efforts made to see out tough economic times by injecting capital into the renovation of the Ice Cream Farm visitor attraction. This work alone has led to an increased footfall, a record number of return visits and has also offered new employment opportunities within the local community.
Director, Jonathan Fell, collected the commendation from the High Sheriff himself at a reception given at Chester University and hosted by Phil Harris, Dean of the Faculty of Business, Enterprise and Life Long Learning at Chester University.
Fell says: “2009 was one of our most successful years to date and to do that in the current economic climate is a great achievement. It is incredibly important to us to gain recognition from such a well recognised business faculty, in the county that has made our business.”
Producing some of the finest quality real dairy ice creams and fruit sorbets in the country, Cheshire Farm Ice Cream now supply over 900 pubs, hotels, restaurants and retail outlets all over the North West and the UK as a whole, with the customer base increasing weekly.
The award winning Real Dairy Ice Cream is made using fresh whole milk and fresh cream, with only the finest ingredients carefully selected to ensure that they are free from artificial colours and flavours. The production unit is one of the biggest in the North West and is capable of producing over 1000Ltrs of ice cream an hour for over 30 delicious flavours of ice cream and sorbets.
The farm itself contributes massively to the North West’s tourism offer, attracting almost 300,000 visitors a year, recently undergoing major developments and refurbishments to increase this footfall further. Improvements include; a bespoke ice cream themed indoor adventure play barn, newly renovated Country Kitchen Café, outdoor play areas, an animal viewing area, gift shops, as well as a brand new bespoke ‘Make Your Own Ice Cream’ machine for children’s parties that can be held on the premises.
