Special products to commemorate UHV’s 50th anniversary
Special products are available to commemorate the 50th anniversary celebration at the University of Houston-Victoria.
Partnering with local business owners, UHV has collaborated with Victoria Coffee Roasters, The Green Cow Creamery and Vela Farms to create a limited-edition coffee, ice cream, sorbet and jam, said Kelsey Norgard, UHV director of alumni relations and annual giving.
“It has been a pleasure to work with local businesses in the community as we celebrate our 50th year,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “By aligning with local businesses, we foster a dynamic environment where education fuels innovation, and our shared success becomes the cornerstone of community growth.”
The university has collaborated with local businesses in the past. Now, as the university moves into the future, UHV is looking to forge relationships with new businesses, Norgard said.
Sara Vela, owner of Vela Farms, has created a special jam named Balsamic Fig Preserves, using figs harvested from her family’s farm in Victoria County. Nurtured on her family farm with a history dating back to 1867, Vela utilized hundreds of pounds of figs to create the unique preserve.
“We tried different recipes, we tried different variations, but we always came back to that fig due to the fact that it was locally sourced,” Vela said. “It tastes wonderful and was a labor of love.”
Vela Farms, a family-owned and operated business established in 2012, has evolved from its initial focus on jams and jellies and now offers an extensive range of more than 200 products. The business transitioned from its downtown buffet location to a new facility located at 4806 John Stockbauer Drive in Victoria.
“I’m very proud of the final product. I love working with the college, I’ve been working with UHV for years,” Vela said. “I love the opportunities given to small businesses. Small businesses are the core of the community, and it’s our responsibility to support them and keep them going.”
The UHV 50th Anniversary coffee is a dark roasted blend consisting of beans from Brazil, Peru and Honduras, said John Valdivia, owner of Victoria Coffee Roasters and the Box Coffee Bar. After three weeks of going back and forth on sampling six different types of blends, he came up with a full-bodied blend with notes of lemon, caramel and vanilla.
“The first thing that popped out to me when I took that first sip was just a bright note of lemon,” Valdivia said. “When you think of lemon and coffee, it doesn’t sound very delightful, but it was such an interesting note, and it works so well.”
Victoria Coffee Roasters is located at 501 E. Juan Linn St., Suite 200, in Victoria. The artisan coffee roaster has been supplying coffee shops and boutiques since 2007. The Box Coffee Bar has two locations: the downtown location is located at 202 S. Main St., and the town and country location is at 2916 S. Laurent St.
Jeanette Rocha, owner of The Green Cow Creamery, has created two flavors tailored for the university: an ice cream called “Live on the Wild Side,” and a sorbet named, “Feeling Berry Driven.”
The ice cream has a butterscotch base, with brownie bits, swirled in fudge and sprinkled with bits of pecan and butterscotch chips. The ice cream resembles the skin of a jaguar when it is completed in the tub, Rocha said.
“Feeling Berry Driven,” is a strawberry daiquiri flavored sorbet. The Green Cow Creamery is currently selling the limited edition UHV flavors at their stores, and due to the ongoing partnership, the store will give back $1 for each purchase.
Launched two years ago, The Green Cow Creamery started their flagship store in Cuero, later expanding to another location in downtown Victoria to satisfy the sweet tooth of those in the region. The Cuero location is located at 136 E. Main St., and the Victoria location is on 102 S. Main St.
“It was really fun to work with the university,” Rocha said. “We had a great time creating those flavors, and we are so appreciative to have a partnership with them.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.