Handcrafted small batch ice cream from Southern Craft Creamery has made its way onto 30A and into the shops of Modica Market, For The Health Of It, CK Feed & Supply, and on the menu at George’s Alys Beach to name a few.The newest 30-A restaurant,  Havana Beach Bar & Grill at The Pearl Rosemary Beach has just announced Southern Craft will be the exclusive ice cream served in their restaurant.

Ice cream and its origins can be traced back to at least the 4th century B.C. when early references include the Roman emperor Nero (A.D. 37-68) who ordered ice to be brought from the mountains combined with fruit toppings, and King Tang (A.D. 618-97) of Shang, China who had a method of creating ice and milk concoctions.

Lauren and Zach O’ Bryan, owners of Southern Craft Creamery, are now the ones concocting tantalizing recipes using milk from Cindale Farms owned by Lauren’s parents, and are using local ingredients like Amavida coffee in their tasty creations.

Lauren grew up on a minority owned dairy farm, and in 1994 her parents Cindy and Dale Eade (Cindale) wanted to start their own farm, so they moved to Marianna, Florida and settled on 460 acres.

Though Lauren and her husband Zach met in college where she studied Food and Resource Economics, they married and traveled with his military position leaving Lauren longing for home. Lauren says, “I missed being a part of agriculture. I grew up around cows, sheep, goats and chickens!”

Cindale Farms is a family owned and operated working dairy with more than six hundred Holsteins, Jersey’s, cross breeds, and three hundred and fifty milking cows that are milked twice daily. The family’s hard work and dedication paid off over the years as they were awarded Jackson County Dairy Farm of the Year in 1995, Outstanding Farm Family for Jackson County in 2009, and Conservationist of the Year for Jackson County 2010.

Meghan Austin, Lauren’s sister, is a large animal veterinarian who manages the dairy and animals with her husband Brad. Lauren says, “ Knowing the high quality product I was working with is what inspired me to make this ice cream. Like most small dairies we do not use any artificial hormones, we test the animals, and treat them humanely. They are part of our family, and we even know their personalities!”

Located just of-site from the dairy in an old peanut warehouse in Marianna, Florida, Southern Craft Creamery uses milk specifically from the family farm. Lauren and Zach prepare ice cream, sorbets and sherbets, creating interesting flavor combinations incorporating fresh local ingredients from the Florida Panhandle.

Lauren and Zach worked on taste profiles for their ice cream for over a year, and the eight signature flavors currently sold are vanilla, sweet cream, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, salty chocolate, salty caramel, Amavida coffee, and Bay Laurel (Bay leaves steeped in sweet cream). Lauren says, “The Bay Laurel has a refreshing flavor with a hint of floral. We try to accentuate the highlighted ingredient.” With many farmers in the region growing various top quality produce, Lauren and Zach plan to support the area farmers by blending their products into the ice cream formulating seasonal flavors. Lauren says, “We want to showcase our local farmers in our ice cream. With that said, though we are passionate about local food, if we don’t think the ice cream is the most delightful thing we ever tasted, we won’t use it!”

Some seasonal flavors in the making are Strawberry, Strawberry Balsamic, Tupelo Honey, and Cherokee-Ginger Sorbet. Other flavors in the works are Sweet Corn with Blackberry Compote, Blueberry-Lemon, and Roasted Banana with Salted Peanuts.

Southern Craft Creamery and Cindale Farms encourage patrons and members of the community to visit their farm. They offer tours for school groups, and both joined facebook to share photos of their farm life, daily activities, insight as to what takes place on the dairy, and to share information about their delicious ice cream.

Southern Craft Creamery is located at 4439 Franklin Street, Marianna, Florida 32448, For more information visit their Facebook page or reach them by email at info@southerncraftcreamery.com.