Senator Claire Celsi (D-West Des Moines) put out a post on Twitter on Thursday night cautioning her followers about buying Blue Ribbon Ice Cream.
“I’d considered buying this new brand of ice cream,” Celsi wrote. “I flipped it over to see what company manufacturers it. Wells – the same family business that makes Blue Bunny and supports Steve King. Buyer beware!”
Wells is No. 2 in ice cream production in the country. It is instrumental to the community of Le Mars.
Having an Iowa senator encourage people to not purchase their products seems a little harsh.
According to Iowa Economic Development (2016), nearly 2,500 people (one in every four residents in Plymouth County) work for Wells at the height of the season. Wells has more than $1 billion in annual revenue.
Wells also helps other businesses in the community. Wells sources 100 percent of its fluid milk from surrounding counties. Local suppliers like BoDeans Baking Group and IML Containers have grown steadily along with Wells.
CEO Mike Wells told Iowa Economic Development, “it’s a privilege for us to pay corporate taxes because we know that it gets reinvested in vital services like transportation infrastructure, top-notch schools and quality of life amenities for our employees.”
Considering how vital the company is to the state, Celsi’s warning to consumers may be a bit much.
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