Zax Creamery receives national recognition
Zax Creamery & Coffee has earned prestigious national recognition at the North American Ice Cream Association convention, bringing home blue ribbon awards for two of its classic flavors and a second-place finish for an innovative creation.
The local ice cream shop won blue ribbons for both its chocolate and strawberry flavors of ice cream and a red ribbon for its vanilla ice cream at the Ice Cream Clinic, a national competition that sets the industry standard for quality. The awards are based on rigorous testing of the three flavors — vanilla, chocolate and strawberry — that serve as benchmarks for ice cream excellence.
“Those three flavors are the foundation of having a good reputation ice cream business,” said Zach Graber, adding that he felt having a good butter pecan is also important.
The competition involves blind taste testing conducted by Cornell University’s dairy science team, which evaluates entries based on taste, texture, bacterial counts, and melting quality. Ice cream makers from across the country can submit their products; entries are shipped to the university in August, and results are announced at the November convention. the Best New Non-Dairy Flavor of the Year category, earning high marks from hundreds of convention attendees for its balanced bright fruitiness of cherries, and rich chocolate flakes throughout.
“It’s not just anybody saying that we have good ice cream,” Zach explained. “It’s scientific, if you will, that we have award-winning quality ice cream.”
Adding to their success, Zax Creamery’s non-dairy cherry cordial flavor earned second place in the Best New Non-Dairy Flavor of the Year category, earning high marks from hundreds of convention attendees for its balanced, bright cherry fruitiness and rich chocolate flakes throughout. This achievement stands out as particularly significant, as it represents peer recognition from other ice cream shop owners who attend the convention.
The flavor of the year competition allows ice cream makers to submit one flavor annually, either dairy or non-dairy, competing against hundreds of other entries.
It’s a bit more meaningful to Zach, since this contest is voted on by other ice cream makers.
“Obviously, it’s got to be a really good flavor and two, it’s got to stand out to people,” Zach said. “Like it’s got to pique their interest.”
The recognition validates the shop’s commitment to quality and innovation. Zach and his wife, Taylor, describe themselves as passionate about creating new flavors and perfecting classic ones, with a focus on providing products that make customers smile.
“I’m really passionate about making things that I’m proud of and that everybody likes,” Zach said, adding that it carried over into everything they do at the creamery. “If I’m going to do it, I want to do it to the best of my ability.”
Besides the satisfaction of providing a great customer experience at Zax Creamery, Zach enjoys creating unique flavors, even seasonal ones. They recently introduced Yes Yam, a sweet potato casserole-inspired recipe that incorporates brown sugar and marshmallow fluff just in time for Thanksgiving.
They also created an apple crisp ice cream based on his Aunt Joyce’s recipe. Both have been hits. They are all out of the apple crisp ice cream, but there may be a bit of Yes Yams left for anyone who wants to try it.
The pair emphasized that customer interaction remains their favorite aspect of the business.
“I love seeing faces light up when they try a really good ice cream flavor for the first time,” Taylor said.
The NAICA Ice Cream Clinic Awards are open only to members who manufacture their own ice cream, and fewer than 100 shops nationwide participate each year. Blue ribbons represent the highest level of achievement in the judged competition.
“These awards are a testament to our team’s obsession with quality and flavor,” said Zach. “From sourcing the finest ingredients to perfecting every small batch, we pour our hearts into every scoop. We’re incredibly proud to stand alongside the best independent ice cream makers in North America — and to bring these national honors home to Southern Indiana.”
