SKOWHEGAN, Maine — Six months after its production plant in Skowhegan was badly damaged in a fire, Maine ice cream giant Gifford’s Ice Cream is still unable to make quarts.
But nonetheless, they’re back on shelves and in stock thanks to a collaboration with other ice cream companies.
"In this industry, everyone knows that yes you may compete at a certain level, but at the same time everyone is there to help," JC Gifford, the COO of Gifford’s, said Tuesday.
The company is partnering with dairy farms in New York, Ohio, and Florida to produce Gifford’s ice cream without having to use its processing plant in Maine. Meanwhile, in Skowhegan, former factory workers are shifting focus to help get the facility back up and running.
"We have to deal with change and I’ve dealt with it every day since [the fire]. I still come to work every day, every day that I’m told," Zachary Sherman, a Gifford’s employee, said. "I cannot wait to get back to running ice cream again."
Still, even as Gifford’s ice cream remains on shelves, consumers are buying less of it. Before the fire, the company was selling nearly 2.8 million gallons of ice cream. Now, JC Gifford said they’re on track to sell less than half of that this year.
To ease the pressure on the company, town officials are offering to help. Jeff Hewitt is the director of economic and community development in Skowhegan. He said his office is working to move building permits along for Gifford’s.
"We can’t fix things … but offer things that they need to move forward," Hewitt said.
Gifford’s Ice Cream plans to begin making ice cream in Maine again as soon as Oct 1.