“Who knew that high butter fat content ice cream was essential?” jokes Erik Bruun, President and CEO of SoCo Creamery. Well, I think a lot of us did, but the pandemic certainly confirmed it. Luckily, members of the Great Barrington and larger Berkshire communities have access to a super-premium ice cream option right down the street. Whether you’re looking for a double scoop from the Railroad Street shop or a pint from a local grocery store, SoCo Creamery has got you covered.
SoCo has long provided distinctive, high-quality treats to local and regional ice cream lovers—a service that has become even more valued since the onset of the Covid pandemic (the scoop shop saw record sales this past summer). As Bruun likes to say, ice cream is much more than the set of nutritional values on its label—it’s an act of self-care, a means of celebration, a shared experience that can bring a community together. And here in the Berkshires, you can even purchase it using our region’s very own currency, BerkShares, when you visit the SoCo scoop shop.
Railroad Street in downtown Great Barrington has been home to the business since it opened shop in 1993 as Bev’s Homemade Ice Cream. Expanding into wholesale production, SoCo can now be found in stores throughout New York and New England. The ‘super-premium’ ice cream and sorbet is made using dairy sourced from regional farms and inclusions made from scratch in-house—whether they’re brownies, cookie dough, caramel, you name it! Many other ingredients are also sourced locally, including every component of their popular Blueberry Honey Lavender flavor. “You can pronounce every word on our ingredient lists,” affirms Bruun.
Bruun admits that his current position at SoCo is as much a surprise to him as anyone. His journey to SoCo was a roundabout one—he has been a reporter for the Berkshire Eagle, a freelance writer, and a staff member in the State House. He was also the founding Board President of Railroad Street Youth Project and has served other local non-profits. His family’s business eventually brought him to finance and an investment in SoCo. He offered to serve as CEO on a temporary basis during a period of transition, and, seven years later, you can still find him testing new flavors in the factory or leading the scoop team on Railroad Street.
His experience at Railroad Street Youth Project shaped his optimism about what a new generation has to offer, and that view persists in his role at SoCo. “I work with young people every day, and they’re delightful,” Erik shared. He has also come to deeply appreciate the daily task of providing unique, regionally-inspired ice cream to the Berkshire community: “we’re not going to change anyone’s lives but we can certainly help change people’s days.”
A local ice cream shop is an essential element of any community. SoCo Creamery plays a starring role in the strongly woven fabric of independent shops that make up downtown Great Barrington.
