Solley’s Kentish Ice Cream, a family-run business for over 30 years, has recently impressed a local food and drink specialist with their products. As a result, four of their flavours will now be conveniently located in Southern Co-op stores across Kent and East Sussex.
Keeping it local, the milk and cream used in Solley’s Ice Cream comes from a farm just one mile away from their location in Ripple, near Deal. 85% of the base ingredients are sourced locally and the farm has been in the family since the 1930s. Stephen Solley, the founder of the company, began looking for ways to add value to the milk received from their herd of Guernsey cows in 1985, and the business has since grown to become the largest independent producer of real dairy ice cream in the South East. The baton has now been passed onto Keith and Katie Morrison, Stephen’s son-in-law and daughter, who run the business today.
Matt Elliott, Southern Co-op’s Retail Buying and Services Manager, is thrilled to be partnering with Solley’s Ice Cream for their ‘Local Flavours’ range. Celebrating their 150th year, Elliott points out that it’s a great year to partner with producers with an emphasis on local and sustainable manufacturing. Kent is rich in natural talent and boasts a number of amazing producers, as seen by the sponsors of the Taste of Kent Awards. Solley’s Ice Cream is a brilliant example of this talent, says Elliott, adding that he hopes everyone loves the taste as much as they do and continues to support incredible local producers.
The flavours of Solley’s real dairy ice cream that will be stocked are Traditional Vanilla, Wild Strawberry & Cream, Mint Choc Chip and Salted Caramel. Keith Morrison, Managing Director at Solley’s Ice Cream, expressed his delight in being chosen to be part of the ‘Local Flavours’ range in selected Southern Co-op stores. A Kent-based family business, Morrison says they take pride in producing great tasting ice cream with excellent provenance. He is overjoyed to have this recognition from the Southern Co-op team and values the partnership highly.
