SHERBURNE, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – It’s dairy month so our Food and Farm Showcase is taking us to makers of one of the most popular forms of dairy: ice cream.
Gilligan’s Ice Cream grew out of the historic Gilligan’s Island restaurant in Sherburne.
In 1994, Gilligan’s began producing its own ice cream and in 2018 Andy Lagoe and Gil Hodges began making the tasty treat for the wholesale market.
Gilligan’s Ice Cream is now available in over 85 locations across Upstate New York.
It produces more than 60 premium flavors in half pint, pint and 2 and a half gallon tub sizes.
There are vegan varieties as well as sorbets and Gilligan’s also makes a variety of novelties such as chipwiches, ice cream sandwiches, single-serve sundaes and ice cream cakes.
Lagoe says he sources as many ingredients locally as possible.
“We don’t have to do many sales because we get a lot of people that reach out to us that want our product. It is pretty easy to sell ice cream. It brings a smile to everybody’s face, everybody looks forward to ice cream, especially in the summertime. It’s a fun business to be in because everybody loves ice cream,” he said.
Gilligan’s has also been at the forefront of alcohol infused ice cream and was instrumental in convincing the state to allow ice cream with beer, liquor and hard cider to go along with wine ice cream which was already legal.
And the state ruled that while it must be labeled and customers must be 21, retailers do not need a liquor license to sell it.
Lagoe says you can definitely taste the alcohol, but it probably won’t make you drunk.
“The equivalent of a pint is about the equivalent of a light beer. So, you would have to eat an awful lot of ice cream to really get a buzz. But we haven’t had any test subjects yet so if anybody out there wants to take a stab at it, they’re more than welcome to.”
Lagoe says Gilligan’s would be interested in making a cannabis-infused ice cream if the state would allow it.
He says many farm markets across the region carry his products and that Gilligan’s will even provide a small freezer to get them started.
Gilligan’s also makes custom flavors for colleges and school districts that can be sold as a fundraising platform.
In Broome County, you can find Gilligan’s Ice Cream at both Taste New York stores on Upper Front Street and at the Southern Tier Welcome Centeron Interstate 81 in Kirkwood plus Winn Hill Farms in Port Crane.
You can get a list of all the locations at