Ferdinand's Ice Cream Shoppe a WSU tradition

Once upon a time in Spain, there was a little bull and his name was Ferdinand.

This little bull, who liked to sit beneath a cork tree and smell flowers, is the namesake of the Washington State University ice cream shop.

With eight flavors of cheese and more than 20 flavors of ice cream, Ferdinand's has been a staple on the WSU campus since the 1940s. Part of the larger WSU creamery organization, the shop’s name comes from the 1938 Disney short cartoon, “Ferdinand the Bull,” according to the creamery’s Web site. The full story is displayed through illustrated frames on the shop's walls.

"I think the products make the creamery special," Ferdinand’s supervisor Eric L. Needham said. "Canned cheese is rare. The flavor of the cheese is excellent and the ice cream is excellent. All the products are very good."

The creamery's most famous product is Cougar Gold, a sharp white cheddar cheese aged for a year and sold in 30 ounce cans. The cheese was a product of research sponsored during the forties by the United States government and the American Can Company. The goal was to develop a canned cheese that could be shipped overseas to troops without producing gas. Dr. N.S. Golding eventually helped create the now famous cheese, hence the name.

Since its invention, the recipe and bacteria used to make the cheese has been cultured for 60 years, Needham said.

"Cougar Gold is a tradition," he said. "A lot of alumni come back and visit the creamery for the cheese and the ice cream."

In addition to Cougar Gold and other cheeses, Ferdinand’s also sells ice cream products, such as milkshakes and ice cream sodas, and Cougar brand sausages.

"Ferdinand's is a great place to have on campus," Ferdinand's employee Chris W. Westerman said. "It's a fun place for students to come and grab an ice cream cone between classes. Customers can also watch the cheese and ice cream being made in the observation room."

Though his favorite cheese is Hot Pepper and his favorite ice cream is Tin Lizzy, Westerman said, there are so many options, customers come in and need a few minutes just to take everything in. One wall is covered with possible milkshake flavors, there's a cheese case full of different flavors, and of course, the ice cream cabinet.

On home football game weekends, Ferdinand's is open for four hours before kickoff and the line always stretches out the door, Westerman said.

Originally housed in Troy Hall, the creamery moved to its current location near the Food Science & Human Nutrition building in May 1992. Beginning in the late seventies, cheese was made at the creamery year-round and the revenue from the cheese and ice cream sales was enough to support the creamery and its research.

Needham's favorite part about working at Ferdinand's is serving the customers.

"The ice cream and cheese really make them happy," he said. "It's fun selling quality products."

The creamery produces approximately 250,000 cans of cheese each year, 82 percent of which is Cougar Gold, Needham said. The creamery used to employ about 30 part-time students, but the number has grown to about 50.

"I love working at Ferdinand's," Westerman said. "Years from now, I’ll be able to say I was part of a great WSU tradition."

The story of Ferdinand the Bull ends with him being taken back to his home pasture after he refused to fight at the bull fights in Spain.

Now he just sits and smells the flowers. He is very happy.