Billy Goat Ice Cream Co. offers unique all-natural flavors, including roasted strawberry balsamic and coffee cacao chip. Photo by Brianne Schwabauer.
The purpose of FAPC is to help develop successful value-added enterprises in Oklahoma — to bring the products, the jobs and the dollars home, Johnson said. “We offer many different types of services to help businesses get a jump start,” Johnson said. “Our goal is to help food businesses put the best product out there for the consumers to enjoy.” The Made in Oklahoma Coalition has played an important role during the last year, as well, Robinson said. MIO is a marketing cooperative whose mission is to create brand awareness and consumer loyalty for locally sourced and produced food products, said Barbara Charlet, market development coordinator for the cooperative. “We work with Oklahoma food manufacturers, helping them with everything from marketing to distribution,” Charlet said. “Our goal is to help them achieve sales growth within the state as well as the surrounding region. The Dallas-Fort Worth market, for example, has a greater population than all of Oklahoma, so it is a natural target market.” Along with all members of MIO, Billy Goat Ice Cream Co. receives a multitude
of marketing opportunities, everything from in-store promotional events to participation in retail and food service shows, Charlet said. In addition, they receive timely industry information and the expertise of their fellow MIO members, some of whom have 20 to 40 years of experience in the food industry, she said. “The coalition has enabled Billy Goat to gain access to distribution channels and retail and food service accounts that would be difficult to approach on their own,” Charlet said. “The coalition, operating as a marketing cooperative, continues to mentor emerging companies as they navigate the inhibiting process of securing shelf space in warehouse distribution centers and retail stores.” Billy Goat Ice Cream slowly is making its way into stores around Oklahoma and surrounding states. Food Pyramid in Stillwater, Okla., Reasor’s Foods in Tulsa, Okla., and the Green Acres Market in Wichita, Kan., are just some of the places people can find Billy Goat Ice Cream. Recently, the Odyssey newspaper for OSU featured Billy Goat Ice Cream. The article described 11 rules all OSU students
broke at least once, and No. 8 was eating an entire pint of Billy Goat Ice Cream in one sitting. “We couldn’t believe we got added to that list,” Robinson said. “We have seen an increase in brand awareness on campus because of it, so we are definitely thankful.” Both Johnson and Charlet said they believe the buzz about the Billy Goat Ice Cream should result in continued success. Johnson said she believes Billy Goat Ice Cream will become a nationally known product sold throughout the country in the next 10 years. “With their uniqueness and taste profile, it appears they have unlimited potential to grow and expand their operations,” Charlet said. “They have an attractively priced product that will capture the millennial generation, a market segment with the resources and interest in non-traditional products.” Jimmy
HUTSON
Burns Flat, Okla. COWBOY JOURNAL | 33