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[Page S1934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING SOUTHERN CRAFT CREAMERY
Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, as chairman of the Committee on
Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize a small
business that exemplifies the unique American entrepreneurial spirit.
It is my privilege to honor a Florida small business that not only
produces an amazing product, but also tirelessly serves their
community. Today, I recognize Southern Craft Creamery, of Marianna, FL,
as the Senate Small Business of the Week.
Founded in 2012, Southern Craft Creamery is owned and operated by
Dale and Cindy Eade, with the help of their children. After selling
their handcrafted ice cream wholesale for 6 years, the Eade family
opened its first brick-and-mortar location last February.
Southern Craft Creamery is a true family-run business. While Dale and
Cindy's daughter, Megan Austin, along with her husband Brad, currently
manage Cindale Farms, a local dairy farm where Southern Craft Creamery
sources its milk, Lauren and Zach O'Bryan, Dale and Cindy's daughter
and son-in-law, initially launched the ice cream brand. Having been
involved in the Florida dairy business since 1980, it is no surprise
that the Eade family's ice cream is crafted to showcase the quality
milk they produce and the delicious southern ingredients they grew up
with.
Today, Southern Craft Creamery sells a wide variety of signature ice
cream flavors including tupelo honey, salty caramel, and candied bacon,
as well as seasonal flavors such as raspberry basil, bourbon butter
pecan, and blackberry buttermilk.
Southern Craft Creamery has been repeatedly recognized for these
delicious flavors, being named the overall food winner in the 2013 Made
in the South Awards by ``Garden & Gun'' magazine and by ``Southern
Living'' magazine in the Best Sweets category for the magazine's 2015
food awards.
Southern Craft Creamery creates these remarkable ice cream flavors by
sourcing many of their ingredients from other local, family-owned small
businesses. Working with local farmers and producers has allowed
Southern Craft Creamery to give back to their community while also
receiving the freshest and most flavorful ingredients available. They
also work with regional, family-owned retailers to sell their ice cream
throughout Florida.
Southern Craft Creamery and the Eade family seek to give back to
their community in any way possible. After Hurricane Michael devastated
their community, they gathered supplies for victims, opened their doors
to allow residents to cool off, and offered free coffee and ice cream
to first responders. Prior to December 2018, Southern Craft donated all
of their tips to Partners for Pets, a nonprofit animal shelter in
Marianna. Since December 2018, however, all of their tips have been
donated to Friends of the Florida Caverns State Park in an effort to
assist in replanting trees and repair damages caused by Hurricane
Michael.
The Eade family's work to grow Southern Craft Creamery, support local
farmers, and aid members of their community is an excellent example of
civic dedication. Companies like Southern Craft Creamery are the
heartbeat of local, small-town communities across Florida. I would like
to congratulate Southern Craft Creamery on their 1-year anniversary of
opening their storefront and for being named the Senate Small Business
of the Week. I wish them good luck and look forward to watching their
continued growth and success.
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