Made in PA: Pennsylvania family-run Bassetts Ice Cream churning sweet treats since 1861

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Bassetts Ice Cream, a family-run business that began in 1861, continues to serve up its signature scoops from its historic counter at Reading Terminal Market, making it America’s oldest ice cream company.

Now in its sixth generation, the company attributes its longevity to cherished family recipes and unique flavors that are “Made in Pa.” and enjoyed worldwide.

“We were producing ice cream on my great, great great-grandfather’s farm, where he would make ice cream and cart that into Philadelphia on a horse and buggy,” said Alex Bassett Strange, president of the company. “When the Reading Terminal Market opened in 1893, we set up shop here.”

Strange noted that Bassetts is the last remaining original merchant in the market. “That’s where he brought the ice cream production. Right below where we’re sitting today,” he said.

The original ice cream-making process involved hand-cranked freezers and a mix of salt and ice, long before modern refrigeration.

Among the earliest flavors was green tomato, which the company attempted to revive.

“It just didn’t have the appeal that, say, a mint chocolate chip or cookies and cream might have,” Strange said.

Currently, Bassetts produces its ice cream in Johnstown, on the western side of Pennsylvania, offering nearly 40 flavors. Its most popular is vanilla.

“It is very high quality Madagascar bourbon vanilla bean blend we’ve been using for about 100 years now,” Strange said.

The company’s products are available in grocery store freezer aisles across the globe.

Shivon, a customer visiting from Sri Lanka, praised the ice cream: “The one of the best ice creams I’ve ever had. And to know this is still being run by the same family, and the same recipe, that’s just fantastic.

Reflecting on the company’s legacy, Strange said, “It’s not often that a business will last as long as ours has. It’s an amazing sense of pride.”