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Written by Dirk Burhans

Despite consolidation, a 1930's-era regional dairy makes transition into 21st century intact

"Gosh, they just like 'em all, you know?"

That's how Charlene Heckerman responds when asked about the most popular ice cream flavor served at the Central Dairy outlet ice cream store in Jefferson City, Missouri.

When pressed, she'll acknowledge that Tiger Tracks, Moose Tracks, and butter pecan are perennial favorites among their 51 flavors (Tiger Tracks: vanilla fudge ripple with chocolate-covered oreo pieces and chocolate truffle; Moose Tracks: vanilla with fudge swirl and peanut butter cups). And they're famous for their gigantic banana splits.

For 6 years, Charlene Heckerman has been serving up ice cream to an eager public, some of whom have been coming to Central Dairy for decades. "So many generations have come here," she says; "they bring their children, grandchildren..." On the day I visited, a pair of very thin, very elderly women were partaking of ice cream at one of the vintage benches. "I've been coming here a long time," offered one of the ladies; "since I was this high," she added, lifting a hand a little less than four feet off the ground; "don't ask how old I am."

"They come in pretty near every day," remarked Charlene (pictured at left) after the ladies left; "usually after 11:00, so they can get a hot dog."

The Central Dairy ice cream store is only a front, of sorts. Behind the ice cream outlet are the business offices, manufacturing plant, and loading dock for Central Dairy's primary operation: milk and frozen dairy products distributed in a 100-mile radius centered on Missouri's state capitol. My 10:30 a.m. visit is deliberately early so that busy staff will have time for my questions, and I'm not used to eating ice cream at this hour. So far, traffic is slow. But soon, a middle-aged man and his grade-school-aged son join the handful of patrons already in the shop. He appears to be from out of town.

"That's all you have is ice cream? No smoothies?"

Central Dairy does not have smoothies, iced lattes, or mocha blasts. They serve old fashioned, hand-packed ice cream. They also serve traditional fountain drinks like hand-mixed cherry Cokes, ice cream sodas, and food items – hot dogs, Polish sausage, and regionally-made Backer's potato chips. After asking: "ice cream soda? What's that?," the man and son settle on a banana split: three double-scoops of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, respectively, thank you – covering an unseen banana, lathered on top by marshmallow dip and chocolate sauce. It looks to weigh about five pounds.

The ice cream store on Jefferson City's Madison Street remains a throwback to another era, even as the formerly family-owned company plants its feet solidly into the modern era of consolidation. As with Central Dairy in Missouri, packaged foods throughout the U.S. such as milk, bread, salty snacks, and beverages were family-owned by regional concerns for much of the 20th century.

Many small cities in Missouri and other states even boasted their own family-branded potato chip plants. When it came to soda pop, small towns often had one or more bottling plants for brands such as Grapette or Nesbitt's that most of us have either forgotten or are too young to know about. But as changes in transportation and distribution led to consolidation and more efficient economies of scale, so too have retail packaged foods become less diverse and less regional. As shipping became more cost-effective, "distribution centers" receiving corporate product replaced local family-owned manufacturing plants. How has Central Dairy, which opened both its Jefferson City ice cream store and plant in 1933, persisted?

So far, they have side-stepped the issue. While retaining their name and products of distinction, Central Dairy was acquired in 2007 by Prairie Farms, a midwestern dairy outfit with operations in some 15 states. Although there were initial fears from Jefferson City residents about losing a locally-owned business to a conglomerate – and fears about closing of the ice cream store – Central Dairy thus far has been allowed to maintain its name and status quo. Day-to-day operations of the dairy are still overseen by Central Dairy general manager Chris Hackman, whose family bought the company in 1962.

Meanwhile, before the predictable noon rush of customers, Charlene compiles a 2-inch thick stack of cards, premiums redeemed to Central Dairy by customers who received them as gifts from a locally-owned bank – Central Bank. She in turn will send them to the bank for reimbursement.

"People even come here from out state for their ice cream," Charlene tells me."Some days, they're lined up out the door and down the sidewalk." What's the busiest time of year? "We're busy all the time," she says, "whether its cloudy or rainy."

"When people want ice cream, they want it."

Dirk Burhans' book, CRUNCH! A History of the Great American Potato Chip, will be available from University of Wisconsin Press in October 2008.