Although the initial plan had been to sell the berries as is, Becky soon had another idea. Several years prior, while living in Oregon, the couple had been troubled by their waistlines, which were expanding in part because of ice cream consumption. They vowed to only eat ice cream they hand-cranked themselves. As they began harvesting their berries, they decided to use the bounty to create some home-grown desserts.

 LIVE MUSIC ALL SUMMER

The ice cream soon became so popular that it is now sold at over 40 locations in Vermont and several in Massachusetts, as well as at the farmstand. Pints can be purchased at locales as diverse as the Hilton Garden Inn, Mill Market Deli, Shelburne Farms, Healthy Living, and Mascoma Bank. Scoops are available across the state at events celebrating everything from tulips to technology, the Stowe Farmers Market, and South Burlington’s SoBu Nite Out. Fisher Brothers Farm will have food trucks and live music every Friday from June through August from 5–8pm. “Bring a chair and bring your own food or buy it here,” Becky says. Another new addition to the farm is a nine- hole disc golf course. Noting that the farm is only a bike ride away from Burlington, Becky says the family loves having people drop by to check the place out.

 The brand name comes from the couple’s three children, who are now 18, 16, and 14. “They’ve worked for us forever,” Becky says. “They’ll all be scooping this summer, they help bag berries, and they participate in marketing discussions.” In addition to family members, the farm has five full-time, year-round employees and 25 seasonal employees.

SEEKING WORLD DOMINATION

Fisher Farm grows 32,000 row-feet of berries, including blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, Aronia berries, and elderberries. They also grow Marquette grapes. The berries that don’t end up in ice cream go to value-added producers like jam makers and brewers, and they just started providing Skinny Pancake with blueberries. Becky notes that the farm has plenty of room for expansion. “We’re going towards world domination,” she jokes.

 

 A new endeavor for Sisters of Anarchy is prepackaged four-ounce single servings. “It’s a gateway drug to premium ice cream,” Becky says. “It’s sold for under five dollars.” Outlets for the new product include Shelburne Farms, Healthy Living, Spruce Peak Lodge, Trapp Family Lodge, UVM, and Middlebury College.

Music is a regular theme in the names of the ice cream flavors, including Black Velvet If You Please, The Experience, and Berry in Black. Beefy Blonde is dedicated to “athletic women of substance,” and Officer Bob Special is a tribute to the family’s favorite police officer. Becky notes that the best-sellers often vary with the seasons.
I Really Love Your Peaches is a summer favorite, while Chocolate Anarchy, Crystal Blue Persuasion, Overtime, and Raspberry Beret are year-round best sellers. Becky says the naming process is a collaborative effort, and sometimes customers suggest names. “Sometimes we have the name before the actual ice cream,” she says. 

Although they shy away from controversial names for their ice cream, the Sisters of Anarchy are not above making a statement. In addition to lauding the use of the Oxford comma and rejecting “impact” as a verb, the website says that “anti-vaxxers and flat- earthers should join forces and step off the edge.” Becky says this verbiage predated the COVID-19 pandemic. “My background is in global health,” she says. “I’ve worked all over the world with vaccinologists. Vaccines save millions and millions of children.”

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

 Becky says that if you had asked her 30 years ago if she thought she’d be running a farm and an ice cream business, she would have laughed. “I’m not even sure how it happened,” she says. That said, she is happy to have found a niche in her new world. “My husband and I both really enjoy interacting and bantering with customers,” she says. “We’ve gotten to know a number of customers from all over the country. Besides, selling ice cream is one of the best transactions

ever. People come for the happiness and nostalgia of a really good ice cream cone.
We provide the ice cream, and the customer leaves very happy.”

Sisters of Anarchy Ice Cream

4947 Spear Street

 Shelburne, VT

(802) 495-5165

www.sistersofanarchyicecream.com