The History of Machines and Factories

Way back in the land BC, the earliest mention in the "history of ice cream" suggests that it was made simply by mixing fruit or some kind of syrup mixture with snow. The discovery that salt could cool food down quicker and give it an iced texture led to the process of making iced desserts by packing containers with snow and saltpetre. It was not until the mid 1800s however, that the first recognized ice cream machine appeared.

In the 1840s an American lady, Nancy Johnson, gave the world the first hand-turned version of an ice cream machine. Some sources documenting the history of ice cream state that Nancy Johnson did not patent her invention, but records show that she did apply for and receive a patent in 1843.

It seems, however, that Ms Johnson wasn’t too strong on marketing techniques, and the machine was again patented by a Mr William Young in 1848, aptly named the “Johnson Patent Ice Cream Freezer”. This early example of an ice cream maker involved turning a crank by hand to allow the ice and salt to freeze the ingredients and give them an iced consistency. A laborious process it would seem, but a definite breakthrough in ice cream production.

In 1851, the first factory produced ice cream appeared, when Jacob Fussell began producing ice cream on a commercial basis in Maryland. Taking advantage of his success, he was able to open further ice cream factories elsewhere in North America and has since become a legend in the industry.

While the people of the United States and Europe continued to experiment with flavors and varieties of ice cream, an important development was being made in Kentucky by Clarence Vogt. In 1926, he introduced a mechanical ice cream freezer to the world, enabling the frozen products to be produced on a faster and much larger scale.