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AISLE 5 · FROZEN & DAIRY
Brown's Velvet Ice Cream
by Brown's
Gone since 2005. Upper Lakes hoped another maker would carry the name; none did. Not to be confused with New Orleans' Brown's Velvet, an unrelated dairy. The local paper says only that ice cream began 'around 1916'.
Last verified Nov 8, 2026
Made in Annandale, Minnesota, from around 1916, Brown's Velvet came in nearly 50 flavors — vanilla first, maple nut a close second — and was sold across Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
🧾 One more thingIt died of a single broken part. In June 2005 the plant's roughly 50-year-old ammonia compressor shaft snapped, and owner Upper Lakes Foods decided that closing was cheaper than buying new equipment.
Filed under: Frozen & Dairy · the ’70s & earlier
📅 Timeline
- 1906C.J. Brown bought the Farmers Creamery in Annandale, Minnesota.
- 1916The Browns began making ice cream, around this year.
- 1990Floyd Brown and his sister Doris sold the business to Upper Lakes Foods of Cloquet.
- 2005The plant stopped in June when its compressor shaft broke, and Upper Lakes closed it for good.
❓ People also ask
Why did Brown's Velvet Ice Cream close?
A roughly 50-year-old compressor shaft broke in June 2005, and the owner decided not to pay for new equipment.
How much ice cream did Brown's make?
About 135,000 to 150,000 gallons a year at the end, in nearly 50 flavors, according to the Annandale Advocate.
🧾 Sources
- Annandale Advocate, Brown's ice cream melts into history (2005)
- snreview.org, Brown family history (2013)
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