(continued)

Now you can not only have your cake and eat it too, you can add your favorite ice cream on top and still save calories and fat.

With the new addition of Velvet Churned to their product line, the Utica, Ohio-based Velvet Ice Cream company...more info click on this link! is introducing an ice cream that, scoop-for-scoop, has half the fat and one-third less calories than regular ice cream. With about 100 calories, only 3.5 grams of fat and 15 grams of carbohydrates per half-cup serving even the most conscientious dieter can afford more than just a few scoops of their favorite frozen treat. The new Velvet Churned is a good source of calcium and contains only 2 grams of saturated fat. And ice cream fans will be delighted to see that the new Velvet Churned comes in a luscious line-up of eight distinctive flavors, exclusive to the Velvet product line: Original Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, Butter Pecan and Cashews, Burgundy Cherry, Dutch Chocolate, Fresh Strawberry, Buckeye Classic and Caramel Latte Chip.

Velvet has not sacrificed flavor or texture with the new Velvet Churned according to Velvet Ice Cream vice president of sales and marketing Luconda Dager. “The churning is what makes this new product smooth and creamy. It is blended in small batches with all natural ingredients to produce the same smooth texture and taste -- just like the velvety smooth ice creams we have been making for more than 90 years,” she said. “We took the most requested flavors, those that are unique to our brand and popular with our consumers, and just took out half the fat,” she added.

It was both consumer taste preferences and demand for a lower fat alternative that spurred the development of Velvet Churned according to Dager. “Our customers have been asking us to make their favorite flavors of ice cream, but with less fat and calories. So we did just that. The result is a delicious ice cream that has ribbons of fresh strawberries, 100% pure vanilla, chocolate chips, real peanut butter, caramel, and nuts -- just like all of our ice creams, but with less fat and calories,” she said.

Velvet Churned can be found in the freezer section of grocery stores everywhere ice cream is sold. A 56-ounce container sells for a suggested retail price of $5.69 to $5.79.

Velvet has more than 500 different recipe flavors of ice cream and makes about 50 different varieties each year, including popular seasonal favorites. “When my great-grandfather Joseph Dager opened the Velvet Ice Cream doors in 1914, they made only one flavor, the Original Vanilla, and after 90 years it is still Original Vanilla,” Ms. Dager said.

Today, four generations later, the company produces more than six million gallons of ice cream a year and was voted as one of the Top Seven U.S. Regional Ice Creams in 2005 by CNN Money. The annual Utica Old Fashioned Ice Cream Festival held at Ye Olde Mill on the corporate headquarters grounds each Memorial Day draws more than 35,000 ice cream lovers and has earned the small community the title of “Ice Cream Capital of Ohio.”

Velvet Ice Cream is privately owned and located in Utica, Ohio about 40 miles northeast of Columbus, Ohio, and markets Velvet brand products in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia. The company employs 125, and has distribution facilities in Ohio in Bucyrus, Cleveland, Chillicothe, and Cincinnati, and in Indianapolis, Indiana. Visit their company website at www.velveticecream.com.