The scoop on blue moon: How Wisconsin grew to love the nostalgic ice cream flavor

At the Sassy Cow Creamery in Columbus, Wisconsin, there’s an ice cream counter with rows and rows of flavors.

One that stands out is a tub of vivid blue. 

That’s the one many kids point to, said Kristina Leigh, an ice cream maker at the Sassy Cow, half an hour northeast of Madison.

“They run up and they don’t even know the name,” Leigh said. “They just say, ‘I want the blue one.’”

Blue moon ice cream is sold almost exclusively in the Midwest. The citrusy dessert is especially popular in Wisconsin and Michigan. Both states are rumored to have invented the flavor.

Its true origins, however, are difficult to unthaw.

There’s mention of “blue moon ice cream” in early 20th century newspaper articles from states across the country.

In a 1931 ad that ran in a Marion, Ohio newspaper, the Isaly Dairy Company says quarts of ice cream are available in maple nut, vanilla and “blue moon.” It’s not clear from that ad whether Isaly’s blue moon tasted anything like the tutti fruity-esque flavor that’s beloved today.

There are also ads dating back to the 1920s for something called “Blue Moon Ice Cream” in New Jersey, although that appears to refer to the name of an ice cream shop rather than a specific flavor.

Nostalgic flavor may have originated with Milwaukee business

And there is some cold, hard-served evidence indicating today’s version of blue moon originated with a Wisconsin business.

Decades ago, an Illinois-based company known as Weber Flavors bought a Milwaukee-based company called Petran Products.

Documents show Petran Products of Wisconsin filed to trademark the blue moon flavor in the 1970s. At the time, Petran claimed it had been using the term “blue moon” since at least 1939. 

Today, Weber holds the trademark for blue moon, which means it has exclusive rights to use the term for ice cream flavoring. 

The company sells  its blue moon flavoring to more than 100 retailers across the country.

Weber Flavors Marketing Manager Melissa Healy said blue moon ice cream sees the highest demand in Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois. But the company does sell the flavor to shops that are farther afield. 

“A little bit of Ohio, and a little bit of the Iowa, Minnesota area,” she said. “And then we have some kind of random, like, Arizona, Alabama customers.”

Healy said many of those non-Midwestern customers are actually Midwest transplants who moved away to escape the cold.

For many people, blue moon is laced with nostalgia, Healy said. 

“People might have been attracted to it as a kid because of the fun color, but then realize that they really like the flavor, so still continue eating it as an adult,” Healy said. “It’s not too heavy, not too rich. Very summery.”

Hard-to-define taste is like ‘cereal milk, frozen’

At some shops, blue moon has a hint of nuttiness. The Sassy Cow describes its rendition as redolent of Froot Loops.

To Sun Prairie resident Dylan Eaton, it’s “like cereal milk, frozen.”

“It’s really sweet, kind of like a marshmallow,” said Lauryn Bunn of Fennimore.

That hyper-sweetness isn’t for everyone. Callie Adelmeyer of Theresa doesn’t order blue moon for herself, though she will taste her kids’ leftovers.

“When I worked at an ice cream shop, we described it as either almond or citrus and spice,” Callie Adelmeyer said.

After a dentist appointment, the Adelmeyers stopped at the Sassy Cow, surrounded by grazing cows and rolling green fields, for a treat. Four-year-old Abe Adelemyer chose blue moon. He thinks it tastes “like cotton candy.”

Although blue moon’s best known as a childhood favorite, there are some grown-ups who seek out the flavor — people like Stacey Zempel of the Appleton area.

“It has more of a raspberry flavor for me,” Zempel said. “I think it’s gotta be an acquired taste.”

The Sassy Cow is among the businesses that use Weber’s blue moon flavoring.

To make the Sassy Cow’s version, cream and sugar are blended with milk that comes from cows that graze at farms near the shop.  Then Leigh adds a small amount of dark blue flavoring to a big metal machine.

“I always (consider it) a very sky blue as it’s coming out of my machine, and I’m kind of double-checking it,” Leigh explained. “Every once while, I’ll take a peek, and I’ll just see what the consistency of my ice cream is looking like. If it looks like it’s done and ready to go, I’ll put my container under (and) dispense a little bit.”

Some shops offer their own twists on blue moon

Blue moon ice cream has become an Upper Midwest staple, said Nichole Fromm, who co-wrote a book about Madison food.

“It’s had staying power because here we are, 75 years later, and people are still enjoying blue moon,” she said. “It’s super attractive to kids and kids at heart.”

Many ice cream makers have started offering their own twists on the flavor.

At the Sassy Cow, you can jazz things up by ordering scoops of “cookie monster,” which is blue moon mixed with Oreos and cookie dough.

Meanwhile, at the Milwaukee-based Purple Cow Ice Cream shop, the blue moon flavor is called “purple moon,” available in a violet shade.

Other stores use blue moon in what’s known as Superman ice cream, a fruity Midwestern favorite that blends blue, yellow and red-colored ice cream.

These days, many people are wary of artificial colors in food. So Weber sells its blue moon flavor both with and without the signature cyan coloring. The one with added color is way more popular.

Anything blue appeals to 3-year-old Kaida Kohrs. She said it’s her favorite color.

Kaida lives in California, but she stopped at the Sassy Cow while visiting her grandparents in Wisconsin. She chose a scoop of blue moon with sprinkles.

Asked how it tastes, she pronounced it “good.” Then she smiled, revealing lips and teeth stained bright blue.

WPR reporters are making pit stops across the state to explore some of the people, places and things that make Wisconsin summers special. See all the stops and plan your own roadtrip at wpr.org/roadtrip.