It sounds like a free-for-all brawl, but Berry Rumble is actually an ice cream flavor created by Central Ohio Technical College and Velvet Ice Cream to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary.
The tasty blend of strawberry, blueberry and blackberry received almost 1,000 votes in the spring of 2021 to out-point other proposed flavors. The ice cream is available at all anniversary-themed events, including a "Welcome Back" ice cream social on Sept. 2. The special ice cream is also featured on a limited basis at Velvet’s Ye Olde Mill in Utica. Berry Rumble is named after school president Dr. John Berry.
“It’s very good,” said Ben Mitchell, brand specialist for Velvet Ice Cream. “We have it available at the mill until the end of October, and it’s gotten a ton of rave reviews from our customers.”
Ye Olde Mill is the home to Velvet Ice Cream’s corporate offices in Utica, about 20 minutes from the COTC campus in Newark. The school was looking for a local partner to help celebrate its anniversary and approached Velvet in February about collaborating on a special ice cream flavor to present to its students.
Dr. Berry and other school officials offered input, and Velvet put together five flavors exclusively for the anniversary that were whittled down to three: Berry Rumble, Blueberry Bliss and Twisted Mint Cupcake.
Blueberry Bliss featured sweet blueberry ice cream with pieces of chocolate, while Twisted Mint Cupcake combined blue mint-flavored ice cream with white chocolate chips and rich chocolate cake pieces. Students voted on the various flavors, with Berry Rumble receiving the most votes.
Founded by Joseph Dager in 1914, Velvet Ice Cream enjoys a rich history of supporting worthy causes while distributing more than 5 million gallons of ice cream in 30 different flavors throughout the Midwest. More than 150,000 people visit the mill annually. The company’s retail division is a large part of the business, distributing goods sold at Walmart, Giant Eagle supermarkets and other area stores.
“We like to give people a taste of our culture and a taste of our brand,” Mitchell said.
COTC, founded in 1971, remains the sole technical college in Ohio and prides itself in offering affordable high-quality education with campuses in Newark, Coshocton, Knox and Pataskala.
“I cannot think of a better partner than Velvet to help COTC create a memorable, one-of-a-kind experience for COTC’s 50th anniversary,” Berry said when the partnership was announced in March.
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