Valpo Velvet in Valparaiso, Indiana has been made the same way for a long, long time.
People who’ve traveled the world have told Cathy Brown there is no finer ice cream than the rich, creamy, old-fashioned ice cream that’s made and sold at Valpo Velvet ice cream shop in Valparaiso, Indiana.
Brown, who spends her days dishing up sweet scoops of Valpo Velvet, said the secret to success is that the ice cream has been made the exact same way for 65 years, by three generations of Brown family members.
Valpo Velvet Ice Cream in Valparaiso, Indiana
The Valpo Velvet way means using expensive, top-of-the line vanilla when others are using imitation vanilla. It means saying no to ingredients with names too long to pronounce. And it means saying no to pumping the ice cream with air like some manufacturers do to make it more cheaply.
Although the five simple ingredients in the basic mix haven’t changed, unique new flavors have been added over the years like chocolate-dipped strawberry. Another unique favorite is nutty monkey king, which features banana with peanut butter, peanut butter cups and peanuts. Other favorites include blue moon and, for kids, a creation called birthday cake which features cake batter flavored ice cream with confetti sprinkles.
Although Valpo Velvet makes 65 to 70 different flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet and sorbet, vanilla remains the most popular by far. Brown is partial to chocolate or cookies n’ cream. For me, it’s got to be either coconut ice cream or the Almond Joy-like coconut nut fudge.
Mix or match your favorite flavors at Valpo Velvet in Valparaiso, Indiana .
Call Ahead for a Valpo Velvet Tour
People can call ahead and set up a tour of the ice-cream-making area behind the Porter County ice cream shop and to hear how ice cream is made. The tours cost $4 per person at the time of this writing, and each person on the tour gets to enjoy a scoop of their favorite flavor.
For tour attendees or shop customers who can’t decide which flavor to enjoy, there’s always the Valpo Velvet Viking, a $9 creation which features scoops of five different ice creams, five different toppings, whipped cream, nuts, bananas and cherries.
Oh, and don’t forget that the Valpo Velvet shop also serves gourmet soups and sandwiches that are all made from scratch. Just in case you want real food.
Go There
Valpo Velvet was selected one of the best ice Indiana ice creams in the state during a 2012 contest on the Visit Indiana website.
One bite and you’ll see why. Can it get any better than this?
Do you have a favorite flavor of Valpo Velvet Ice Cream? We’d love to hear about it! Please share it in the comments section below.
Don’t just live in the city–explore it! THIS is Big City, little Indiana!
Just don’t forget to tell ’em that little Indiana sent you!
Valpo Velvet
55-57 W Monroe Street
Valparaiso, IN 46383
219.464.4141
View Larger Map
Targeted. Relevant. Affordable! That’s advertising with the little Indiana family!
