Smith Dairy 'Includes' Popular Extras in Ice Cream

National Ice Cream Month Prompts Company Salute to History of Ice Cream with
Inclusions

ORRVILLE, Ohio, July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- This July, Smith Dairy Products
Company, the leading regional maker of dairy products, beverages, and ice
cream, is celebrating the history of ice cream with delicious "inclusions," or
add-ins such as fruit, nuts, chocolate candies, and other treats, in honor of
both National Ice Cream Month and the company's 100th anniversary.

"While vanilla will probably always be the top-selling flavor of ice cream
because of its versatility, flavors with inclusions are nearly as popular,"
said Penny Baker, Director of Marketing at Smith Dairy. "Since the late 1990s,
especially, consumers have wanted their ice cream loaded with goodies beyond
just chocolate chips or fudge swirls."

Baker points to the introduction of Cookies 'N Cream flavor in 1983 and
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor in 1991 as industry innovations that
strongly resonated with consumers. "They are still best-sellers today," Baker
said. "They've been joined by Moose Tracks(R), which came out in the mid-1990s
and is consistently in our top five flavors."

But ice cream with inclusions didn't appear out of nowhere. In fact, some of
the earliest recipes for ice cream, published in the 18th century, called for
the inclusion of pieces of apricots, strawberries, currants, and other fruits
and berries. As the public taste for ice cream grew, so did experimentation
with inclusions, which ranged from flavors which would seem odd today (cheese
shreds and vegetables) to others which sound almost modern (flakes of pastry
crust and candied orange blossoms).

Today's producers add inclusions to ice cream after it leaves the freezer. The
ingredients, whether fruit, nuts, cookie dough, or any other add-in, are
dropped into the semi-solid ice cream prior to packaging, and then it is
frozen solid in sub-zero temperatures.

Here are a few facts about the history of Smith Dairy's ice cream varieties
with inclusions:

* Year in and year out, the most popular flavor with an inclusion is Butter
Pecan, in both SMITH'S and Ruggles(R) brands.

* Ruggles(R) Blueberry Pie, a Limited Edition flavor with inclusions of pie
crust pieces as well as a blueberry swirl, will be available in grocers'
freezers in July for as long as supplies last.

* Company founders and brothers John and Peter Schmid began adding nuts and
fruits to their ice cream mix not long after starting their company in 1909.

* Like 18th and 19th century confectioners, Smith Dairy has experimented with
exotic-sounding inclusions; popcorn and licorice were two such attempts.

Smith Dairy commemorates its hundredth anniversary this year, and in honor of
its 100 years in business, Smith Dairy has produced "Our First Century: 1909 -
2009," a heritage video and accompanying book, which will be distributed later
this year to Ohio libraries and historical societies. The video is currently
available to view on the company's Web site at
http://www.smithdairy.com/m-video.asp.

On January 1, 1909, John and Peter Schmid borrowed $300 from a neighbor to buy
two horses, two wagons, some milk bottles, cans, dippers, and a hand-cranked
freezer to begin daily deliveries to Orrville homes. A hundred years, two
major facilities expansions, and many technological innovations later, Smith
Dairy is still family-owned, with Steve Schmid, grandson of founder John
Schmid, as the current president.

About Smith Dairy Products Company (www.smithdairy.com)

Family-owned since 1909 and headquartered in Orrville, Ohio, with production
facilities in Ohio and Indiana, Smith Dairy Products Company manufactures a
full line of quality dairy, beverage, ice cream, and foodservice products.
From Ruggles(R) Premium Ice Cream to SMITH'S milk in the distinctive yellow
jug, Smith Dairy assures its customers the freshest and highest-quality
products.

SOURCE Smith Dairy Products Company

Lee Esposito, +1-800-254-1971, for Smith Dairy Products Company