Frequently Asked Questions

It's like this - if you sign up before the 15th of the month, your first delivery will be the following month. If you sign up after the 15th, your first delivery will be the month after the following month. (ie You sign up on August 10th, your membership will begin in September. You sign up on August 20th, your membership will being in October.) This is because we place exact orders with our ingredient partners in advance to avoid excess waste.

If you’d like The Milkmaids to cater your special event, we can work with you to craft the perfect flavor.

This is a membership for ice cream enthusiasts who appreciate the craft of ice cream. We cannot cater to specific likes or dislikes. Of course, if you have a food allergy, you are welcome to contact us and defer that particular month.

If you are allergic to an ingredient in one of our flavors, then we allow you to defer your membership to the next month. Please note that we produce the ice cream in a facility where nuts are handled, so the pints may contain nuts or traces of nuts.

We send an email announcement one week before the beginning of the month which includes photos, descriptions, and information about our two seasonal flavors. You fill out a form to let us know your flavor choice.

Only if you're a member and really love the flavor and want more of it. We do not yet distribute our pints outside of our membership model at this time.

We offer our membership in three month seasons. We cannot offer a refund in the middle of the three-month season, as we have already sourced the ingredients for your pints. You are free to cancel your recurring membership at anytime.

Because our ice cream is seasonal and based on what is available locally, it is important that we have an idea of membership size in advance so we can notify our farmer friends of our needs.

Yes. When you sign up to become a member, there is an option for gift-giving.

It is too bad that doing things right these days also means doing things the expensive way. 

Let's start with the flavor creations - we spend days, many trips to the Greenmarket, and countless bowls of ice cream perfecting our seasonal and unique flavors. They're flavors you will not find anywhere else.

Then, on to the ingredients - we use the best dairy around from happy cows who are grass-fed and well treated. Our mix-ins are sourced form local producers who also take price in their craft. We're using the best natural, susatinable, hand-crafted ingredients around.

And production - we're still a small business here, and produce our ice cream in tiny batches. We make it from scratch, and self-pasteurize each batch, rather than using a pre-made mix like most other ice creamers. Then, we hand-pack each pint, layers the mix-ins by hand, to ensure that yours is the best pint we've ever made.

And finally delivery - we deliver it straight to your door!

Ibid. (see above)

It's an ice cream cone emoticon, of course! You know, like a smiley face :), but two scoops on a cone <00. Its origin was a gchat session among Milkmaids during our inception. We always say that we'll know we've made it when Google turns it right side up. <00

We currently offer three options for delivery -  dropoff-delivery, hand-delivery, and soon, shipping-delivery. All membership fees include shipping. Learn more about each below.

Dropoff-delivery is recommended if your delivery location (home or office) accepts packages or has a mailroom, or if you are certain someone will be at the office during your selected timeslot. Dropoffs  occurs on the first Wednesday of each month.

We package the ice cream in a bag with dry ice designed to last no longer than 16 hours, so you must retrieve the package by midnight on Wednesday.

Specific Question about Dropoff-Delivery? 

Do I have to be home to receive the dropoff delivery?
No. You tell us where to leave the package and we’ll do it. With your doorman, with your receptionist, in your mailroom, wherever you determine it to be safe. Please be sure someone receives the package and deposits the pints in the freezer within 12 hours of the beginning of your delivery time, as packages are meant to last no longer than 12 hours.

Will it be packed wtih dry ice? Is dry ice dangerous?
Yes! CAUTION - DRY ICE IS DANGEROUS. The dry ice is wrapped in a bag for safe removal from the shipping container. Do not touch the dry ice! Always handle dry ice with care, and wear protective cloth (an oven mit or kitchen towel) whenever handling it. Leave the dry ice at room temperature in a well ventilated area. It will eventually sublimate from solid to a gas - like magic. Keep away from children or pets! And do not leave the dry ice on a tiled or solid surface counter top as the extreme cold may crack it.

Hand-delivery is recommended if your delivery location does not accept packages, and you must buzz us up to receive your delivery. Hand-delivery occurs during evenings of the first full week of the month. The delivery timeslots are

• Monday, 7pm to 10pm
• Tuesday, 7pm to 10pm
• Wednesday, 7pm to 10pm
• Thursday 7pm to 10pm

Pints are not packed with dry ice, and are intended to go from our freezer to yours, so someone must be home during the delivery window to receive the package. We try to make it as convenient as possible, and always send a friendly text when we are on the way to your delivery location.

Specific Questions about Hand-Delivery?

Three hours is a long time to wait for ice cream.Will I receive a more approximate time estimate prior to delivery? 
Yes. The weekend before delivery, we will send you a reminder email of your delivery, as well as a more approximate time window. We always text when we are on the way during delivery night, as well, to give you a heads up. Plus, ask anyone - it's worth the wait. 

Do I have to be home to receive the hand delivery? 
Yes. Our hand-delivery option does NOT include dry ice with your package, so someone must be present to accept the delivery and deposit the pints in the freezer immediately. 

Will I receive a notification that you are on the way to deliver?  
Yes, we will always send a text to the number your provide when we are on our way. 

What if I happen to not be home during my delivery time?  
Please understand that we will never leave your pint unattended with the hand-delivery option. We always text when we are on the way to give you a heads up, to avoid such a problem. If you would like to switch to our drop-off delivery option (a pint packed with enough dry ice to last 16 hours unattended), just let us know. If a human being is not available to receive the delivery, the ‘scream will be returned to our kitchen and re-delivered at member’s expense. 

Can I have my neighbor or doorman accept the delivery for me? 
Yes, just make sure we know what number to buzz and who to text when we are on the way. Please be advised that it is your responsibility to remind them that ice cream melts (!) and it needs to be deposited in a freezer immediately.

Shipping-delivery is for anyone that lives outside of our New York City delivery zones. Shipments are received on the first Wednesday of the month. We package the ice cream in a box with dry ice, designed to last at least two days. We team up with a mail carrier to ship to limited areas outside of New York City. You will be given a tracking number when the package ships, and it will arrive much like a normal shipment. 

Questions about Shipping-Delivery? 
When will my ice cream be delivered? 
We’ve partnered with UPS to ship your ice cream right to your door! Packages go out for delivery the first Tuesday of the month, and are delivered to your door the very next day - on the first Wednesday of the month. You'll always receive a reminder and tracking notification. 

Do I need to be home to receive the shipping delivery? 
No. If you are not home, UPS will leave the unsigned package for you, as normal, in a safe place. 

Will it be packed with dry ice? Is dry ice dangerous? 
Yes! CAUTION - DRY ICE IS DANGEROUS. The dry ice is wrapped in a bag for safe removal from the shipping container. Do not touch the dry ice! Always handle dry ice with care, and wear protective cloth (an oven mit or kitchen towel) whenever handling it. Leave the dry ice at room temperature in a well ventilated area. It will eventually sublimate from solid ot a gas - like magic. Keep away from children or pets! And do not leave the dry ice on a tiled or solid surface counter top as the extreme cold may crack it.

If you are out of town and are unable to receive or enjoy your ice cream during our delivery week, let us know and we can defer and extend your membership a month. We cannot send shipments outside of our scheduled delivery week.

For hand-delivery and dropoff-delivery, if you need to change your delivery time, please send us a note when you choose your flavors. For shipping delivery, we apologize but we are unable to change your delivery day.