Here’s the Interesting Story of How Dippin’ Dots Originated in Kentucky
Do you love the "ice cream of the future?" Well, you can credit the Bluegrass state for their origin story. As a child of the 90's, the delicious little dots still speak to me whenever we visit Holiday World. I'm a Rainbow Ice gal, myself.
Theme parks, zoos, baseball stadiums all feature booths with the super cold scoops of a variety of flavors, but there are some stand alone stores across the U.S. We are in Panama City Beach this week and passed one on our way down Front Beach Rd. It got me thinking about how they were created. I found out that they have some major ties to Kentucky which is really cool! I had no idea.
Ice Cream For Cows?
Curt Jones was a microbiologist who specialized in cryogenics. In the late 80's, he was working on a way to make cow feed last longer by flash-freezing it. That's when he had a "light bulb moment." He decided to incorporate ice cream mix and the liquid nitrogen he had used in his experiments and created an ice cream "bead." At the time, his lab was in his parent's garage.
First Dippin' Dots Store in Lexington, KY
After perfecting his first flavors like strawberry cheesecake, vanilla, strawberry, Neapolitan, peanut butter, and chocolate, Curt and his wife opened up the first Dippin' Dots store in Lexington, KY. It didn't even last a year.
Opryland Helped Dippin' Dots Gain Customers
After an unsuccessful start, Curt pitched the fun frozen treat to good ole Opryland in Nashville, TN! With a new slogan "the ice cream of the future" it became a huge hit with park visitors looking for a tasty way to cool off during hot summer days riding rides and playing games. I totally remember begging my parents for them when I was a kid. It was so fun how they would stick to your tongue and slowly melt in your mouth.
Here's a fun little video about them:
Dippin' Dots Headquarters in Paducah, KY
Dippin' Dots are now available all over the world. Fans in North America enjoy Dots that are manufactured in Paducah, KY. I'm not sure if they still offer tours, but they did once upon a time. From what I hear it is really cool to see the process. According to a post on a blog thread, "They drop little ice cream droplets into a pit (probably 8ft by 10 ft) of liquid nitrogen. They freeze instantly and a scooper strains them off the liquid nitrogen."
I didn't think I could love Dippin' Dots anymore than I already do, but now that I know the Kentucky connection, it makes them that much more awesome. Do you love them too? What's your favorite flavor?