The UT Cooperative Creamery was established in 1915 to train students and encourage interest in the dairying profession. It purchased raw dairy products from local farms and produced ice cream, cheese, cottage cheese, milk, and butter, which it sold on site and delivered to customers. It closed in 1989 because of economic constraints and changing consumer demands.
In 2021, UT alumnae Sue Conley and Peggy Smith of California—who created the renowned Cowgirl Creamery brand—agreed to provide funding to get the UT Creamery project churning. The UT Creamery was brought back in collaboration with the Herbert College of Agriculture and the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences.
University of Tennessee students work in the UT Creamery, which gives them an opportunity to showcase a product they created and sent to market, all while giving them the hands-on experiential learning to prepare them as they leave UT and enter the workforce. Our goal is to give our students the competitive edge they need to make them more successful as they start their careers.
Read more about the history and return of the Creamery in Land, Life and Science, the flagship magazine of the UT Institute of Agriculture.
