Mackie’s of Scotland

PRODUCER: Mackie’s of Scotland, Aberdeenshire
PRODUCT: Mackie’s Honeycomb Real Dairy Ice Cream
REGION: Scotland
CATEGORY: From the Dairy (Artisan)

WHAT THEY DO

Family ice cream business Mackie’s of Scotland produces everything they can themselves on their farm in rural Aberdeenshire, in what they call a “sky to scoop” operation.

Mackie’s Honeycomb Real Dairy Ice Cream is churned from fresh milk and cream from the farm’s herd of Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cows (some of which are mixed with the Swedish Red breed). Honeycomb is made in the on-site sweetie kitchen, ensuring total provenance. The company’s investment in an injection-moulding machine, which produces one and two litre ice cream tubs, has further reduced the product’s food miles by an estimated 50,000.

The company is committed to eliminating its dependence on fossil fuels, with the farm being home to four wind turbines, a ten-acre site of solar panels and a biomass plant. Currently the turbines make more energy than necessary for the farm’s use, enabling it to be sold to a renewable energy supplier. Water comes from the farm’s own source and the cows drink clean wastewater, with the excess being recycled into the slurry lagoon that provides natural fertiliser. The farm and office recycle many materials, and encourage re-use of their ice-cream tubs, which are safe for food storage. Wildlife is looked after with an arboretum and beetle banks.

Mackie’s provide jobs for 66 local people, but are a small business compared to their multinational competitors. They are proud to produce their product entirely themselves. They say, “Our company vision is to be a Scottish global brand from the greenest company in Britain, created by people having fun.”

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

The panel of judges in Scotland were full of praise for this “shining example of good practice and ethics with renewables and recycling.” Putting local milk and cream to good use to create an artisan product gained Mackie’s of Scotland further points. 

VISIT THE WEBSITE:  mackies.co.uk