Braum's Tour

Before Sarah's parents came out to visit us in June, we asked some friends around here for recommendations of things we could do while they were here.  One of the recommendations was to get a tour of the Braum's dairy farm in Tuttle, Oklahoma (about 40 minutes northwest of Norman).  So, a few days before they arrived, we called to see if we could sign up for a time for a free tour.  We were a little nervous when the voicemail message said that they don't let people sign up for same week tours, but we thought we might be able to sign up for the following Monday or Tuesday before Wes and Lisa left.

Man, were we wrong about that.  The lady called Sarah back and told her that the next available tour was the first week in August!  We were surprised to see that the interest was so great that they were booked out two months in advance, but decided to take the slot while we had the chance.

When the scheduled day finally arrived, we drove out to Tuttle where we found the cow-painted tour bus and enjoyed our tour around the facility.  For those unfamiliar with Braum's, they have stores around Oklahoma and Texas (I think it is within about 300 miles of the farm so that everything can be delivered fresh and the drivers can make the drive round-trip in a day and be home to their families) where they have a fast-food portion with burgers, ice cream and shakes and also a market portion where they sell their milk, ice cream and produce.

As part of the tour, we visited the bakery where they make all of their own buns and ice cream cones used in their stores.  We also got to see the milk and ice cream production where the milk and ice cream is put into its containers and prepared for shipping.  The highlight of the tour was the end when we each got a free ice cream and a freshly baked cookie from the bakery.  Even though there was quite a long wait to get our free tour, it did not disappoint.