What happens to all of the ice cream shops in Western Massachusetts when the weather gets to below zero temperatures? Do they close? Stay open? Sell other goods? Some shops in the area close during the winter months and open back up when the weather gets warm. For Flayvors of Cook Farm Creamery, a family owned business in Hadley, Mass., staying open and selling ice cream is what they do best. 

Joseph G. Cook opened Cook Farm in 1909 and remains family owned to this day. Flayvors opened in 1998 with Debby Cook managing the store. Today, Debby and her family live on site.

Debby has a lot of passion for the family business and she doesn’t let the winter months get in the way of this.

“Flayvors doesn’t do extremely well in the winter but we make do with what we have,” Debby said. “Once the cold weather comes, ice cream is made just once a week rather than three or four times like in the summer season. But Flayvors is able to profit from the sale of pints and quarts in the winter, as opposed to the popular scoops in the summer.”

Adison Brown, junior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who visits Flayvors occasionally said she didn’t realize it would be open in the cold weather. “I think ice cream can be eaten in any type of climate but living in such a rural area with a ton of local business, I thought most creameries would close their doors,” she said. 

And Flayvors caters to the seasons. Of course they always have the classics like chocolate, cookie dough, and coffee, but they also feature special Flayvors, including a St. Patty’s oreo mint ice cream in March and asparagus flavored ice cream in the summer season.

Amherst Ice Cream in Amherst Center and Maple Valley Creamery also keep their doors open during the cold season. Why do people in New England voluntarily eat frozen treats in the dead of winter? According to the loyal customers at Flayvors, “Ice cream should not be restricted to a certain season, if you love it, eat it!”

Email Julia at [email protected].