Young's Jersey Dairy

Established in 1869, Young's Jersey Dairy has been operating under its motto "Families Gather Here" for over 150 years. Not only is Young's widely known for its ice cream, but it also has several family-friendly activities for everyone to enjoy. Not only the farm itself, but members of the Young family, are staples of the Yellow Springs community. Residents of neighboring cities such as Springfield and Dayton do not hesitate to include this special place in their hometown memories as well. Although Young's Jersey Dairy has undergone some changes with the loss of their original dairy store in 2021, the place is livelier than ever, serving thousands of customers each day.

Young's Jersey Dairy farms started back in 1869 when the Young family built their first red barn. They used the surrounding 500 acres to grow anything from corn to soybeans, as well as to raise various herds of animals. Unfortunately, the family lost their farm in the 1930s, but after the end of World War II, the Young family was able to buy their land back and continue farming. It was not until the late 1950s that they started selling milk out of one of the smaller barns on the property. Just about 60 cents could get you a bottle of milk straight from the Young's cows. After 10 years, the milk-selling business was revamped when the Young family collaborated with another local, Dayton-area business and began selling cheese, sandwiches, ice cream and other snacks in a small retail store. After a few years of successful business, the original, most famous, Young's Jersey Dairy Store was built in 1968. By the beginning of the 1980s the Young family had created their own staple ice cream recipes, as well as a mix of unique flavors that they continued to experiment with.

Business continued to flourish throughout the years and the Young family continued to expand their property. Udders and Putters mini golf and driving ranges were added in 1993 and the family-style restaurant, The Golden Jersey Inn was built in 1997. In an effort to maintain business during the COVID-19 pandemic, the dairy store changed from the typical walk-in, sit-down dining that it was used to and a drive-thru and mobile order pick-up area was added. In 2020 the Young family decided it was time to upgrade the dairy store and in 2021, the new dairy store was built. Unfortunately that meant the original 1968 building had to be demolished.

Even through a pandemic that could have devastated a local business such as Young's Jersey Dairy, it has stayed not only the local hotspot, but Young's draws in customers from hours away, just looking for a piece of the fun. Along with selling delicious ice cream, Young's is also a great family hangout. There are many activities for people of all ages to participate in such as batting cages, mini golf and driving range, a petting zoo fit with baby cows and goats, a play area with a massive burlap-sack slide called Cowvin's Fast Slide, and a gift shop to pick up pints of all your favorite flavors of ice cream. In the fall, Young's puts on haunted hayrides for teens and adults as well as wagon rides for kids. Families can also choose their own pumpkins to carve from the extensive pumpkin patch on the property. For Christmas, families can scour the Young's tree farm and chop their own down to take home. Serving approximately 1,200,000 customers each year, it can be argued that Young's Jersey Dairy has become the year-round hangout for both locals and out-of-town families.

History of Young's, Young's Jersey Dairy. Accessed March 10th 2022. https://youngsdairy.com/our-history/.

Young's Jersey Dairy Facebook. Facebook. Accessed March 14th 2022. https://www.facebook.com/YoungsDairy/.

Walle, Randi. Young's Jersey Dairy Celebrates 150 Years, Columbus Underground. January 18th 2019. Accessed March 14th 2022. https://columbusunderground.com/youngs-jersey-dairy-will-celebrate-150-years-in-january-rw1/.