Central Smith Creamery

Historic Ice Cream Producer a Treat In Its Own Right 

Located on Lindsay Road in Selwyn Township, Central Smith Creamery is nothing short of a historic landmark in the Peterborough region. Owned and operated by the Scates family since 1978, the ice cream manufacturer’s roots date back to 1896, when it was founded as a farmer’s co-op producing butter and cheese products before ice cream production became the sole focus in 1952.

Now, with more than 70 employees and state-of-the-art technology, Central Smith produces approximately 4,300 11.4-litre tubs daily, shipping much of its product to customers locally and across Canada. The public and treasured face of Central Smith is its popular onsite dairy bar that, since 1979, has served ice cream cones, sundaes, milkshakes, and frozen yogurt to generations of local families and visitors to the region.

The significance of that offering isn’t lost on Jennifer Scates, who, with her husband Ian, owns and operates the business. “We’re making memories every single day…we get to see their happy faces,” she says. “Our mission is to ensure our customers have an amazing experience…we have that at the forefront of our brains every day.”

Equally front of mind is being environmentally responsible, a staunch commitment to sustainability that is overseen and directed by an employee-run Green Team and reinforced by Sustainable Peterborough affiliation. Simply put, there is no waste, be it in the form of excess production process-produced heat that is used to warm the building or water that is captured to be reused.

The creamery’s history has a prominent place, too, with Scates noting it “establishes our values and morals, and how we run our business – with integrity and being kind to people. Making people feel good about their purchase is really critical to our success.”

To learn more about Central Smith Creamery, visit www.centralsmith.ca.