80R10975 JGH-D

By: Kolkhorst H.R. No. 10

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The year 2007 marks the 100th anniversary of that renowned Texas company, Blue Bell Creameries of Brenham; and

WHEREAS, Founded as a Washington County dairy cooperative called the Brenham Creamery Company, the firm took over an abandoned cotton gin and began making butter from excess cream in 1907; and

WHEREAS, The creamery made its first ice cream four years later, at the rate of two gallons a day; packed in wooden tubs filled with ice and salt, the ice cream was delivered to local residents by a horse-drawn wagon; and

WHEREAS, The popularity of the product spread quickly by word of mouth, and the creamery increased production; renamed Blue Bell Creameries in 1930, after the beloved Texas wildflower, the company began distributing its ice cream in refrigerated trucks to grocery stores in 1936; and

WHEREAS, Under the leadership of E. F. Kruse, who served as general manager from 1919 to 1951, and thereafter under the leadership of his sons, Ed and Howard, Blue Bell Creameries has expanded throughout the south-central and southeastern United States; now distributed in 16 states, Blue Bell is one of the top three best-selling ice cream brands in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Still purchasing its raw materials from local farmers' cooperatives, Blue Bell manufactures more than 20 flavors year-round and 20 seasonal flavors, and the Blue Bell factory in Brenham draws 117,000 visitors each year; and

WHEREAS, Blue Bell is celebrating its centennial throughout 2007 with a traveling ice cream caravan, a flavor-naming contest, and, in July, a three-day birthday party in Brenham; the summer will also bring the unveiling of two new bronze sculptures in Brenham, one depicting the company's famous logo of a girl leading a cow and the other portraying original company manager E. F. Kruse; and

WHEREAS, Living up to its motto of "We eat all we can and sell the rest," Blue Bell has brought sweetness and joy to generations of Texans and other lovers of ice cream across the South with its century-long commitment to quality and to innovative marketing; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas Legislature hereby congratulate Blue Bell Creameries on its 100th anniversary and extend best wishes to the company and its employees for continued success; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Blue Bell Creameries as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.