Beaver Bites

Food science students serve up ice cream (and more) at new creamery

By Annelise Kelly

Oregon State University is doubling down on eating local– especially ice cream.

Students and visitors can now pop into the newly renovated Withycombe Hall on the Corvallis campus for a scoop of ice cream produced a literal stone’s throw from the sales counter, made using milk from OSU cows grazing minutes away.

Look up from the freezer cases, past the student serving you, through the large window next to the counter. It offers an expansive view of OSU’s new 7,000-square-foot dairy facility, where students receive hands-on experience crafting ice cream and cheese in a commercial production setting. The shop sells other products, including honey and jerky, all made by those learning food science. Withycombe Hall also houses a new wine production facility for viticulture and enology students.

A HISTORY RICH IN AGRICULTURE

Founded in 1868, nine years after statehood, Oregon State University began including agriculture courses in 1873– a natural step in the expanding agrarian west.

Today, its College of Agricultural Sciences has 3,400 students pursuing 40 different degree programs guided by 280 faculty at bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. levels. It also enriches the Oregon agricultural community with 14 branch experiment stations and extension services in all 36 counties.

When Withycombe Hall opened in 1952, it contained the animal and dairy husbandry departments. It also had an ice cream shop and creamery, making it a popular spot for students and community members. The OSU Theatre replaced the ice cream shop in the late 1960s.

Today, the Departments of Food Science and Technology, Animal and Rangeland Sciences, Theatre and portion of the College of Liberal Arts occupy the historic building.

RENOVATION AND REOPENING

In 2021, the university began a massive renovation of the 81,000-square-foot building, collaboratively funded by OSU, state matching funds, private donors and dairy industry partners. Four years and $71 million later, it reopened this spring with gleaming, state-of-the-art facilities, including the Tillamook Dairy Innovators Lab.

The lab is bright and airy under tall ceilings. A large window connects it to the seating area where visitors enjoy ice cream cones while daylight streams in through clerestory windows and skylights. Now open Monday through Sunday, the first ice cream was served on April 11.

In addition to ice cream, it sells other items under the Beaver Classic brand, the flagship label of student-made products from the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University. Beaver Classic began in 2012 with cheese, eventually including cheddar, provolone and Swiss. Sold online and at the Corvallis Farmers Market, the cheese is also available at local retailers, including Market of Choice and First Alternative Co-op. The brand now comprises student-made or student-processed meats, honey, ice cream, produce and other products. Collaborating entities include the Honey Bee Lab, Organic Growers Club and Clark Meat Science Center, aka The Meat Lab.

STATE-OF-THE-ART DAIRY FACILITY

At 7,000 square feet, the new dairy facility is spacious and spotless. It relies entirely on OSU milk. “We’ve got about 120 Jersey cows milking just a mile away,” observes Brandon Riesgaard. “You can smell them on a nice day.”

Riesgaard is the new dairy pilot plant manager. He made cheese in Withycombe Hall as an undergrad and graduate student before working a few years at Oregon’s celebrated Rogue Creamery in Central Point. “I saw this job as a good opportunity to come back,” recalls Riesgaard. “I love the university setting. The students are excited to learn, and specifically now there’s a lot of buzz about the new facility. I’m fortunate to have a bunch of really excited, gung-ho students.”
Equipment includes three 600-gallon silos for milk storage and processing, an ice cream machine capable of freezing about 3 gallons within 10 minutes and a continuous ice cream freezer able to produce ten gallons of ice cream in one minute. Cheese production equipment features a 30-gallon pilot vat (for smaller batches), 200-gallon vat, two presses, cheddaring table and a mozzarella cooker, stretcher and baller. There’s a cabinet-style aging box and two aging rooms.

In keeping with the school’s mission emphasizing research and product development, new high-tech tools abound. “The SomaScope determines somatic cell count in milk,” explains Riesgaard. “If a cow has an infection, they’ll slough off somatic cells– this machine quantitates those. It mostly helps our farm know they’re doing a good job segregating any affected cows. The LactoScope tracks milk components like fat, protein, sugars and lactose. We use that data to dial in our cheeses and ice cream. For example, maybe our cows’ milk in the spring has a higher fat content. That might mean we’d want to make a specific kind of cheese then— or at least mix back a little skim or cream to keep the cheese consistent throughout the year.”

The Withycombe remodel also expanded resources for the viticulture and enology program. The new Erath Family Foundation Winery Laboratory is nearly triple the size of the previous lab, with new and larger-scale equipment. It includes both a fermentation and bottling room. Lisbeth Goddik, head of the Department of Food Science and Technology, says a current primary focus for viticulture and enology students is the study of how wildfire smoke impacts wine and ways to mitigate those effects. OSU students make wine, though not currently available for sale.

STUDENT ICE CREAM CONTEST

On Friday, May 30, ten teams (nearly 40 students) competed in an ice cream contest. Contest sponsor Ever Fresh Fruit Co., an Oregon-based manufacturer of ingredients for the dairy, nondairy, bakery and beverage industries, provided a constellation of possible flavorings and mix-ins. Each team developed a flavor, spending weeks perfecting it in small batches.

On the big day, an experienced industry tasting panel evaluated all the flavors for taste, texture and overall success. Judges included a representative from Ever Fresh Fruit Co.; two from local ice cream brands Salt & Straw and Oregon Ice Cream; a dairy journalist; food writer; and a research and development manager from Tillamook County Creamery. The top prize, $1,500, went to Caffè con Limone– inspired by the distinctive pairing of espresso and lemon. Lemon Pep, a sweet-savory nod to lemon pepper seasoning, earned second and Barrel and Brownie, chocolate spiked with (nonalcoholic) bourbon, won third place.
Teams presented their flavors to an audience comprised of friends and family.

CAMPUS ICE CREAM FOR THE WIN

The reopening of Withycombe Hall introduces an exciting new era for OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Students will graduate with practical experience, ready to enter the dairy, meat and wine industries. Meanwhile, they’ll provide a gathering space and delectable sweet treats for the entire campus while learning those skills. Whether studying or teaching engineering, education, forestry or veterinary medicine, fellow Beavers will appreciate the campus-made treats served by the scoop at Withycombe Hall.

Withycombe Hall is located at 2901 S.W. Campus Way in the northwest corner of Oregon State’s campus. The Beaver Classic Creamery serves from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The Beaver Classic Creamery
Withycombe Hall, OSU
2901 S.W. Campus Way, Corvallis
Monday–Thursday noon to 8 p.m. 
Friday–Saturday noon to 9 p.m.

After living in Denmark, the Netherlands, L.A. and the Bay Area, writer Annelise Kelly settled in Portland, where she delights in food carts, Douglas firs, dancing and getting crafty. Thanks to Annelise’s broad interests, her career path has weaved through cooking, events, technical writing, decorative painting and retail display. Wanderlust takes her across borders and oceans every chance she gets. Connect with Annelise at www.annelisekelly.com.