Giant ice cream factory opens in Astoria

ERIC JANKIEWICZ

Astoria just got a whole lot sweeter.

An ice cream company, Fal Foods, began producing several lines of dairy and non-dairy ice cream Tuesday night.

The factory sits on 8,800 square feet in Astoria and even though operation in the new factory is not yet in full swing, it already produces about 1,200 liters of high-quality ice cream, Fal Foods CEO Malcom Stogo told The Queens Courier.

“We’re in business,” said Stogo, who has been in the ice cream business for over 40 years. “We like it here and we’re really happy with the location we chose.”

Equipped with an array of new machines, the factory produces four different lines from start to finish, including the non-dairy ice cream DF Mavens and Brazilia Gelato.

The DF Mavens brand can only be found at Whole Foods, and it offers flavors like Madagascar vanilla and Sicilian hazelnut truffle. Stogo said he is trying to make this line available in most supermarkets, but for now, anyone with a hankering for caramel apple almond can order it from DF Maven’s website.

Brazilia Gelato supplies one store in Manhattan, Fal Foods’ Brazilia Café in Greenwich Village, but it, too, can be ordered online.

The factory also produces a custom line for those people who crave new ice cream flavors. The workers at the factory will work with you to try and make something to your liking, Stogo said.

The company hopes to eventually produce even more ice cream and acquire more space in the surrounding area either through satellite locations or by buying some of the neighboring manufacturing space on 49th Street. But it’s already the largest ice cream factory on the East Coast that was built in the last 10 years.

The daily operations of the ice cream factory are handled by 10 to 11 workers who are charged with everything from creating the “base” of the ice cream all the way to shipping the final product out the door, according to the director of plant operations, Sotero San Miguel.

San Miguel is charged with making sure the production of ice cream is as smooth as the final product.

“We make everything here and people will be able to taste it,” San Miguel said. “Or, at least, I can taste it. It’s one of the best I’ve ever had.”

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