Eric’s Ice Cream Factory – Defiance, OH, Exceptional Homemade,
Handcrafted Ice Cream…
Since 1999

GEORGE DUNLAP, July 15, 2025 – I had the pleasure to meet with my good friend and the ring bearer at my wedding, Eric Gerber last night for dinner at the Benchmark Restaurant outside of Toledo, Oh, to review his 25 years – in the Ice Cream Retail business. What it takes to be successful…sit back and enjoy this short episode.

My good friend, and fellow Birchard Historical Neighborhood Assoc, Fremont, OH, member, Joseph Albrechta , got together this winter and came up with this great fund raising plan. The funds go toward our neighborhood association to improve our community. But the journey will be fun and entertaining…enjoy the podcast.

The Birchard Historical Neighborhood is planning The Great Ohio Ice Cream Adventure, June 25 – 26, 2025.  The program will offer the opportunity for a test group of community minded friends to visit a few of Northern Ohio’s finest Ice Cream Shops.  Proceeds of this fund raiser will go to the Birchard Historical Neighbor Association in Fremont, OH.

Departing Fremont on the 25th of June, starting with a plant tour and tasting at Toft’s Dairy and then heading to Cleveland to visit: Mitchell’s Homemade, Honey Hut, Popcorn Shop @Chagrin Falls, staying at the Inn of Chagrin overnight. Then on Thursday they plan to visit Country Maid, Chill Artisan Ice Cream Medina, returning to North Western Ohio with a stop at Romp’s Dairy Dock, and finally dinner at Angry Bull Steak House in Huron.  As they get closer to their depart date they will be adding a few more stops.

This adventure is the result of years of conversations between members of the BHNA about Ohio’s great ice cream shop history.  The expertise of members experienced with the ice cream industry will afford access to culinary enjoyments of Ohio’s great tasting ice creams.

The Great Ohio Ice Cream Adventure 2025 was first considered when the members of BHNA were looking for an opportunity to share friendship, flavors, and frivolity in the pursuit of a higher call.  We are excited to extend this limited opportunity to you as an experiment for future engagement to benefit one of Fremont’s great neighborhoods.

CONTACT:

George Dunlap, Treasure, BHNA

1206 Buckland Ave, Fremont, OH 43420

614-378-8466 – [email protected]

Part 1 of my December 2024 Conversations with Carl & Deborah Chaney – 2024 Newly Remodeled Chaney’s Dairy Barn Operation. This is Part 1 of several unfolding conversations with Carl & Deborah Chaney.  December 10, 2024.

The Chaney’s Dairy Barn, more than Homemade Ice Cream, story as told by my good friends Carl & Deborah Chaney.  I had the pleasure to meet and work with the Chaney family over 20 years ago. This past December 2024 I had the chance to spend 22 hours with Carl & Deborah Chaney; Carl gave me the tour of the recently remodeled and expanded Retail Ice Cream shop, serving Homemade Ice Cream, Farm bottled milk, and wonderful meals. Deborah sat down with me and we had a “Kitchen Table Conversation” about how she and Carl got into the Homemade Ice Cream business, but first, we talked about the Chaney Dairy Farm, which started back in the 1940’s.

Today the Chaney’s process, their own, on-site milk bottling operation,and Homemade Ice Creams.  The Jersey Cattle, on the farm, is a registered high quality milk producing herd. The Chaney’s Milk products and Ice Creams are distributed across the State of Kentucky and beyond.

In 1985 Carl, took over the herd & milking business, and worked with his father James, James later passed in 2011. Carl and wife Debra have three children, all of whom were and still very involved in the farm: Jessica, James Neale and Elizabeth.

Due to poor prices making for poor times in the dairy industry, Carl, with support of his wife Debra and children, began the process of looking for new ideas to help save the family farm. In 2003 Chaney’s Dairy Barn was established allowing for the family farm to continue.

In 2016, the family reached another crossroads and needed to make a decision on the future of the farm. With a strong commitment from the family and Carl’s niece Dore Baker jumping on board as the farm manager, it seemed to be the perfect storm for progress. With a new barn, complete with a compost bedded pack barn to optimize cow comfort and a state of the art Lely A4 robotic milking system, the cows at Chaney’s are truly some of the most happy cows you will find.

In 2018 the Chaney family decided to revisit some of the ideas and goals they had from the very beginning.

With the support of family, friends and her spouse, Carl’s youngest daughter Elizabeth made the move in 2017 to begin the process of being able to pasteurize the milk on their farm from their cows allowing them to sell fluid milk, make value added products such a cheese and yogurt and most importantly provide an ice cream mix to Chaney’s Dairy Barn that is made with the milk from their cows. This will make Chaney’s the only place in Kentucky making an ice cream that comes from their own milk

Links:

Penn State Ice Cream School/Short Course

North America Ice Cream Association

Kentucky Department of Agriculture

Chaney’s Dairy Barn reflects on 20 years of business

Chaney’s Dairy Barn Celebrates Major Expansion and Enhanced Visitor Experience in Bowling Green (KY).

Chaney’s Dairy Barn (Facebook)

George Dunlap: 2/12/2025 with Chad Hartley, Father, Husband, Ice Cream Operator, and Ice Cream Shop How-To teacher.

This past February 2025 I had the pleasure to talk with my good friend Chad Hartley of Boise, ID. Chad has a wonderful story to share about his family, his career, and his love of helping those getting into the Scoop Ice Cream Business. If you are considering franchising your ice cream shop, Chad is there now and has a lot to say.

Sit back and enjoy the next hour; Chad talks about Stella’s Ice Cream, his personal story, and the Ice Cream School, and the future development of Stella’s… growth…more than 1 shop.

George Dunlap: 1/14/2025, with Joey Boykin.

Joey Boykin is one energetic Tennessean, he, his family, and his great team make some of the best tasting homemade ice creams and bakery goods, voted by his customers – December 1, 2024, Tennessee Readers’ Choice Awards. Served from the 3 Golly G’s Shops around the Middle Tennessee market.

Joey and his family started Golly G’s over 9 years ago, Joey talks with me about his journey, his successes, and his Social Media programing.  Joey tells me; his hard-working team has been the Key to his success.  Joey tells me about his past challenges, and his future dreams. Joey and his team are working hard to develop another “Home Run Ice Cream Campaign” like his very successful Stuff Your Stanley program.

Joey talks about what it takes to run a family business in today’s world.  Joey also owns, Rapamar Container Company – Corrugated Ice Cream Box manufacturer, Joey tells me how Rapamar is replacing high-cost plastic containers with bio-degradable Rapamar/Corrugated Ice Cream Boxes.

Joey continues to emphasize how important, his family, his team, and the North American Ice Cream Association, have been, in the success of Golly G’s. 

Golly G’s Website

Golly G’s Facebook

Golly G’s Stuff your Stanley Promo

Golly G’s Instagram

Golly G’s Best of Tennessee, Readers’ Choice Awards – Dec 2024

Rapamar Container Company – Corrugated Ice Cream Boxes

North American Ice Cream Association

BY: GEORGE DUNLAP, 1/17/2025

John, mom Nancy, and his sister Becky, enjoying working the dairy farm and serving Home Made Ice Cream. John, just returned from the North American Ice Cream Association 2024 Convention; takes time to talk with me today; about the journey of Moomers Home Made Ice Cream; starting with Mom & Dad, 27 years ago. Moomers is located in Traverse City Mi.

Another of my Legacy Series talks; with owners with over 25 years in the Retail Ice Cream business.

John tells the family story and how they developed their ice cream receipts, expanded their sales, and the value of face to face customer contact. Moomers has been serving quality ice creams for the past 27 years; building the BRAND, serving one scoop after another.

BY: George Dunlap, 12/25/2024

Emery Thompson started in 1905 and continues to grow; one customer at a time.

This past October 11, 2024 it was announced “Middleby Acquires Emery Thompson Frozen Dessert Equipment Company”. Sit back and listen to my conversation with my good friend, Steve Thompson, as he tells the story of the journey of his family’s business.

Steve is not leaving the company, he looks to guide the family business into the Middleby (Taylor Company/part of the Middleby family) family of businesses over the next 3 years. Taylor Company & Emery Thompson are leaders in both innovation & customer service; in the Ice Cream Industry.

The Emery Thompson name and quality will continue for another 120 years.

George Dunlap @ 614-378-8466

Music by; Keep Calm and Podcast

Today, Part 1, I talk about why you should have an Ice Cream Push Cart, This is a series on Ice Cream Push carts. Stay tuned for Part 2 ; the variety of carts you can choose from, Part 3, options in building out an ice cream push cart, Part 4 Dressing up you cart with Graphics and more.

You Gotta Start Somewhere…..

Our first cart and the rest is History

May 7, 2024, I had the pleasure to meet with Ryan Edwards and listen to the story of his family’s journey, via COVID,and the need to be with family, about the dreams of making great tasting craft ice creams, developed by Ryan and, his wife, Christina Edwards.

Their journey started in Brooklyn, NY many years ago, and ended in Sarasota, FL. Sit back and listen to a beautiful story of a dream, love of family, and desire to create best of class, locally sourced, ice creams. This is his story about Great Heights Creamery.