Summer’s here, and thanks to El Niño, the temperatures are cranked to the max. So what better way to beat the heat than with a creamy, cold scoop of ice cream? Sure, this treat may not be as healthy as, say, a slice of watermelon, but as a kid, ice cream always topped my list.
Sure, flavours mattered, but even a scoop of plain old vanilla was a nice reward for staying out of mom’s hair for a few hours. And even as an adult, I find it hard to resist the urge if there’s a tub of ice cream in the fridge.
Kawartha Dairy
At Vince’s, we carry two popular brands that have been around quite a while. Kawartha Dairy, which is a 100% Canadian-owned company, is still operated by the Crowe family, as it has been for 85 years. It remains headquartered in the cottage country community of Bobcaygeon, where it was founded. Back in 1937, it consisted of a small, simple three-room building where the cold storage area was cooled with ice cut from the lake and milk was delivered by horse and sleigh in the winter and wagons in the summer.
The family began making ice cream in the mid 1950s, when founder Jack Crowe went back to school to learn the craft. Although the Kawartha Dairy has grown over the years, they still make their premium ice cream the traditional way, with fresh milk and cream from local farms – mostly within a 100 km radius. The company has daily milk deliveries, and the fresh milk and cream are then made into ice cream within 36 hours.
Although Kawartha Dairy doesn’t just produce ice cream (they also offer milk, cream, and butter) many of us are familiar with their wide variety of ice creams, sherbets, and sorbets. Some of their top selling ice cream flavours are Moose Tracks, Vanilla, Mint Chip, and Salty Caramel Truffle.
Since Jack and Ila founded Kawartha Dairy, giving back to local communities has always been important. They support local causes in agriculture and food insecurity, along with children’s charities and local community events.
Chapman’s
Chapman’s has been making ice cream for 50 years. Starting with just six employees, owners Penny and David Chapman began producing the creamy treat in Markdale, Ontario in 1973. The company has since grown to over 800 employees, and is now the largest independent ice cream maker in Canada.
Chapman’s has a lineup of more than 180 products – from their newest line of Super Premium Plus ice cream to frozen yogurt, No Sugar Added, Premium, Sorbet, and the original line from 1973 called Markdale Creamery. This includes peanut and nut free, egg free, gluten free, lactose free, and no sugar added options. They offer something for nearly everyone.
Chapman’s frozen yogurt is #1 in Canada, and their Premium ice cream has received many international awards, including Best Chocolate Ice Cream in the world by the International Ice Cream Consortium (IICC) in 2022.
The company takes pride in using Canadian dairy and other Canadian grown ingredients. Having a wide range of allergy-friendly products also sets them apart, including their newest line of Super Premium Plus ice cream, which is the first peanut free, nut free and egg free luxury ice cream on the market.
Chapman’s has supported youth initiatives, sports clubs, literacy programs, and local events. Notably, they donated $1M for Markdale hospital’s construction in 2000 and another $1M for a new hospice in 2016. Internationally, they contributed $50K to Ukrainian Humanitarian Relief and thousands of medical kits after the Ukraine invasion in 2022.
Sustainability has also been a focus at Chapman’s, from sustainably sourced packaging and wooden sticks, to energy conservation, to water treatment and many other initiatives.
Bottom line, at Vince’s we are proud of our vendor partners, and to share their stories. And with many more weeks of summer ahead, we invite you to drop by one of our stores to check out our selection of frozen treats. After all, who doesn’t like ice cream!
— Neil
