If you grew up in Houston, your go-to ice cream brand is most likely Blue Bell—but have you ever thought about how it’s made? With headquarters up in Brenham, the answers to your questions are just a short hour or so drive away.

Although the factory no longer does tours down where the conveyor belts are, guests are welcome to visit Blue Bell Creameries for free during the weekdays to get a glimpse of its history, an overview of production through an observation deck, and a $1 scoop of ice cream (in this economy, that’s music to our ears…and our wallets).

Lauren Lewis, public relations manager for Blue Bell, says the Brenham facility is set to see nearly 300,000 visitors this coming year. Typically, spring break is the busiest week for the company, but the overall peak season falls between Memorial Day and Labor Day. It’s also a common field trip for neighboring school districts from the Austin and Houston areas throughout the year.

Blue Bell’s 117-year story hasn’t been all smooth. In 2015, the Food and Drug Administration tested its products after people in Kansas got sick and found a strain of listeria. Further inspections revealed sanitation issues with the water supply that cleaned equipment, and deteriorating conditions at the facilities in Brenham and Oklahoma. The company shut down its facilities in April 2015 for cleaning and renovations, then reopened later that year. Ultimately, Blue Bell pleaded guilty and paid $17.25 million in criminal penalties.

This scandal played a part in the decision to end tours through the plant. Nearly a decade later, the brand has seemingly gained back the trust of its fans, especially Texans, and continues to be a mainstay in households across the 23 states it’s sold in.

Given my own love for the brand, I took a trip to see the facility firsthand and learn more about the ice cream that’s been in my family’s freezer since before I could talk. With historical photos and TVs that play old-school Blue Bell commercials, walking into the visitor’s center is like walking through a time capsule. Here’s what I learned.

Blue Bell Ice Cream got its start with butter.

In 1907, what was then known as the Brenham Creamery Company consisted of a group of local businessmen who took the excess dairy and cream from local farmers and turned it into butter to sell. In 1911, they expanded to making ice cream, delivering it to people by horse and wagon. By 1930, the company changed its name—inspired by the Texas bluebell wildflower—and bought its first refrigerated truck.

The truck, which still works today but isn’t used anymore to store ice cream, is one of the first sights you’ll see when you pull up to Blue Bell Creameries in Brenham. Take a picture with it in the courtyard and get a glimpse into what it was like to deliver ice cream 100 years ago.

In today’s modern age, companies have many options for third-party distribution systems, but Blue Bell continues its direct distribution system with its own trucks and staff to deliver ice cream to stores.

It takes many cows to make ice cream…way more than you think.

Whatever your guess is, up that number, and maybe multiply it by 100. It takes about 50,000 cows to make enough ice cream for just one day of production in Brenham. Holy cow, right? To achieve this, the company sources milk within a 200-mile radius from local dairies and dairy co-ops in the area, with the goal of sourcing as locally as possible.

You’ll never see the same flavor being made from the observation deck.

Monday through Friday from 8am to about 2–3pm, visitors can see the actual production of the ice cream from the observation deck, which is completely free. Here, you’ll see half-gallons, the large three-gallon containers that go to food service accounts, the sherbert quarts, and some pints.

During my visit, cookie two-step was being made in the half-gallons, but Lewis says that every day, a new flavor is being made, so you never know which one you’ll see on your next visit.

The process of bringing a new flavor to shelves takes about two years.

Brands are getting creative with their flavors. Believe it or not, a lot of the ideas for new flavors come from customers. Blue Bell often asks for feedback, while also looking at market trends, ingredient trends, and family recipes from their own employees. Every year, Lewis says the company takes hundreds of ideas and narrows those down to about 40 or 50. Then, the sales and marketing team looks at the proposals, compares them to trends, and narrows the number down further to about 10 or 15 flavors.

Then, the magic begins. Workers start creating recipes and samples for taste panels. Based on the feedback, Blue Bell narrows the selection again and introduces three to six new flavors for the next year, or even the year after that. Fun fact: The company is always working at least a year and a half in advance. Right now, flavors for 2026 are in the works. This means some of these new flavors could already be in production, so the workers might try to be a little more secretive down below when you’re on the observation deck.

Lewis notes that some flavors rotate in and out based on consumer demand. So, if you can’t find your favorite flavor, don’t worry, it might be back in the next three or so years.

The process of making ice cream is much more than adding a flavor to a vanilla base. 

The first and most important ingredient for creating ice cream is a no-brainer: milk. At Blue Bell, the milk-receiving bay on site is the only thing that operates 24-7. It’s brought into a mixed processing room where a base of the ice cream is made, then sent to a production room where it goes through the first tank for flavor. This is where you’ll see other ingredients added—think mint extract and strawberry juice.

At this point, the base is still liquid, so it goes into a freezer tank where it gets whipped and chilled to about 22 degrees, leaving it with a soft-serve consistency. Then, depending on the recipe, extra pieces are inserted, like cookie and cake pieces, pie crust, marshmallows, and sprinkles—basically all the fun stuff.

From there, the ice cream travels to the filling stations, where it goes into the cartons. If you’re on the observation deck, you’ll notice that the carton spins as it’s being filled. This is done for a couple of reasons: It allows for an even distribution, and helps get rid of any air pockets that might be in the ice cream.

Lewis always hears people joke about not being strong enough to open up a gallon of Blue Bell ice cream, but she says that in all honesty, it’s all down to the science of how it’s sealed. The ice cream is made to be tamper-resistant, so when the ice cream hardens, it goes into the blast freezer, where it expands and creates a natural seal around the lid. After some cold storage time, a final test and a stamp of approval, the product is then shipped off to the distribution centers and makes its way to shelves.

Don’t forget your $1 scoop before heading out.

One of the coolest things about visiting Blue Bell Creameries is that you can still get a scoop of ice cream for just $1. Plus, the parlor also offers exclusives that can’t be found in stores yet. During my visit, flavors included red velvet, mango, birthday cake, cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake, peach, cake batter, black cherry, and triple chocolate.

And aside from the cheap scoop of ice cream, the parlor also has memorabilia and a country store with Blue Bell merchandise for a take-home souvenir; pick from mugs, T-shirts, a pint-size koolie, and even toys.