South Australia’s Golden North ice cream named the best in Australia at the Canstar Blue awards

South Australians have known it for almost 100 years but now it’s official – the country’s best ice cream is made right here.

South Australians have known for almost 100 years and now it’s official: Golden North make the best ice cream in the country.

The family-owned SA business has been voted Australia’s top ice cream maker at the annual Canstar Blue awards – the fourth straight year it’s scooped the honour.

Golden North’s marketing manager Trevor Pomery said securing the big prize — over major local and international giants including Bulla, Peters, Ben & Jerry’s, Haagen-Dazs, Magnum and Connoisseur — was proof that you “don’t need to be the biggest” to be the best.

Ava Standish, 7, and brother Arnold, 5, taste Golden North’s award-winning ice cream. Picture: Tricia Watkinson.

“There’s a lot of different ways to make ice cream. You actually don't have to use fresh milk. But we still make our ice cream with fresh milk straight from the farm to us,” said Mr Pomery.

“It’s still made basically the same way it was 50-100 years ago. If it worked then, it works now. That’s the secret to our success.”

Golden North has been making ice cream out of Laura, in the state’s Mid North, since 1923. The company employs 65 workers at its factory and another 15 staff at their Nailsworth head office.

“It’s still made with pride here in SA. Being in a country town, our company really is part of the local community. They all have enormous pride in the company and in the product — it’s part of their life,” said Mr Pomery.

“That comes out in the way they treat the products when they’re making it. That sounds like a PR story but it’s actually true.”

Canstar Blue’s Megan Birot said Golden North ice cream was rated best for “taste, consistency, range variety, packaging, and overall satisfaction” following responses from almost 3,000 independent Australian consumers.

Golden North’s Trevor Pomery and Pt Augusta twins Eve and Dayna Grantham 10yrs old with the updated Giant Twins ice cream. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

“The market for frozen desserts is very competitive and the fact that Golden North has outperformed big-name brands and multinationals on most drivers of satisfaction is a sweet victory for a regional brand hailing from South Australia,” she said.

Owned by five SA families, the business makes close to 12.5 million litres of ice cream each year and is sold in all major supermarkets in SA, and in IGA stores interstate.

Golden North is also exporting its iconic Giant Twins ice cream to China and Vietnam, with another two countries in south-east Asia set to be added to the list.