Delivers almost $50 million of economic activity to the Lismore region,
more than the value of the government funding that supported the factory rebuild
Norco Co-operative, Media Release, 26 November 2025
Last Friday, Norco – Australia’s oldest and last operating dairy co-operative – celebrated two years since its iconic Lismore ice cream factory reopened its doors and resumed production, following the 2022 floods which decimated the factory and left it out of action for eighteen months.
Fittingly, the milestone also coincided with National Agriculture Day – a celebration of the people, products, and communities that power Australia’s agricultural sector. As a proud farmer-owned co-operative, Norco was delighted to mark the occasion by celebrating its resilience and deep connection to its heartland community.
Since resuming operations in late 2023, Norco’s Lismore ice cream factory has produced over 34 million litres of ice cream, not only for Norco Cape Byron, but also for hundreds of other ice cream products found in supermarket freezers across the country.
That’s enough ice cream to fill more than 13 Olympic swimming pools, or if scooped and lined up, could stretch all the way from Sydney to Los Angeles with plenty left over to share.
Beyond the sweet stats, over the past two years, the factory has also delivered almost $50 million worth of economic activity to the Lismore region via local jobs, supplier partnership and ongoing operations; a testament to the resilience and strength of the community.
Norco CEO Michael Hampson comments:
“We are incredibly proud that in just two years, our operation has been able to repay the community – via economic contribution – more than the value of the government funding that initially helped us get back up and running.
“And that is especially why we wanted this milestone to be a community celebration,” he says.
Free ice cream for the community
To mark the occasion, Norco is hosed a free community celebration on Friday 21 November on the front steps of the factory at 120 Union Street, Lismore.
Locals flocked to enjoy free Cape Byron ice creams – recently ranked Australia’s best branded vanilla ice cream by CHOICE – along with cow-themed face painting and family friendly games and activities for the young and young at heart to enjoy.
Michael Hampson added:
“This celebration was about recognising the strength and spirit of the Lismore community, and especially on National Agriculture Day, honouring our producers who work tirelessly to deliver Australia’s best tasting dairy.
“We’re immensely proud of what we’ve achieved together over the past two years and wanted to thank the community for their unwavering support.
“And what better way to do that, than offering FREE serves of our seriously delicious Cape Byron ice cream for everyone to enjoy.”
Sharing or sensible? Aussies draw serious ice cream boundaries
As the celebrations kicked into gear, new research* commissioned by Norco revealed that when it comes to ice cream, Aussies are fiercely protective of their serves.
- Nearly one in ten (8 per cent) won’t share with their partner.
- 38 per cent say no to colleagues.
- For 16 per cent, the in-laws are off limits.
- 23 per cent have a secret stash to avoid sharing; and
- Almost one in ten (8 per cent) parents admit to hiding their ice cream from their kids.
And in a surprising twist, one million Aussies are more than happy to share their ice cream with their pets, proving that for some, furry friends trump family!
Fortunately, Lismore locals didn’t have to face that conundrum last Friday with Norco ensuring there was enough ice cream for everyone to enjoy – no sharing required!
Michael Hampson said: “When the ice cream is as good as we make it, we don’t blame people for being just a little bit selfish.
“We made sure there was enough everyone – parents and kids and in-laws alike – so that no family feuds erupted on our watch…even though we know our ice cream is definitely worth fighting over!”
