UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — At Penn State, it’s common knowledge that Berkey Creamery is the ultimate destination on campus for coolness.
Now, folks across the commonwealth get to participate in elevating the status of the Penn State landmark and its signature ice cream to the epitome of coolness in all of Pennsylvania. How? By casting their votes in the “2024 Coolest Thing Made in PA” contest, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.
Recently, the chamber revealed its lineup of 64 Pennsylvania-made products, all set to duke it out in public voting for the title of this year's contest champion.
“We are thrilled to have been nominated in the ‘Coolest Thing Made in PA’ contest,” said Jim Brown, sales and marketing manager for the creamery. “It is an honor to be selected in the top 64 by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. Our goal always has been to make the University proud, and this is just another way we hope to serve everyone who has made us what we are today. We are a generational, family-friendly tradition; to all who visit, we thank you.”
According to the chamber, the nominees span a wide range of industries across every region of the commonwealth. The bracket unveiling offered an opportunity to discuss the importance of these brands to consumers in Pennsylvania and beyond and the excitement surrounding the annual “Coolest Thing Made in PA” contest that will be held on the Pennsylvania Chamber’s X and Instagram pages over the next several weeks.
Last year, the inaugural “Coolest Thing Made in PA” contest drew more than 30,000 votes cast for 32 Pennsylvania-made favorites. This year, due to the contest’s popularity and the overwhelming public response regarding which companies should have been included in the bracket or won, the chamber is doubling both the number of nominees and voters’ chances to participate.
The first round of voting got underway Monday on the Pennsylvania Chamber’s X and Instagram pages. The tournament voting schedule is as follows: First round (64): March 19-22; second round (32): March 26-29; third round (16): April 2-3; fourth round (8): April 4-5; semi-finals (4): April 8-9; and the championship: April 10-11.
The full bracket is available on the chamber’s website. For more information about the contest, visit the website.
Penn State’s Berkey Creamery, the largest university creamery in the U.S., produces ice cream, cheese, milk, yogurt, sour cream and other products, such as juices, lemonade and iced teas. Cows from Penn State’s dairy herd provide milk for the creamery’s fresh dairy products, averaging about four days from cow to creamery treat.
The creamery ships many of its products within the continental U.S. For more information, visit the Berkey Creamery website.