Celebrating 50 years at Chapman’s

When David and Penny Chapman bought an aging creamery in rural Ontario in 1973, they had a singular focus: survival. 

The budding entrepreneurs had both worked for a dairy bar in Toronto before deciding to strike out on their own, purchasing The Markdale Creamery (renamed Chapman’s Ice Cream) in its namesake town near Owen Sound. The family – daughter Frances was born in 1973 and son Ashley was born in 1979 – lived above the ice cream plant for the first several years. 

“It was tough,” recalls Penny, of those early days. “The creamery was in deplorable shape. There were only four employees and a couple of old trucks, but we had enough to get the business going. And we did everything: Make the ice cream, load the trucks, unload the trucks, do sales calls. But that’s why we came up here: to give it 100%. Perseverance is a real attribute.”

Their perseverance paid off. This year, Chapman’s is celebrating its 50th anniversary and is going strong. The company has grown to become Canada’s largest independent ice cream manufacturer, employing 800 people and producing more than 180 Chapman’s branded frozen treats and 100 private label SKUs at two state-of-the-art production facilities, including premium ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and a range of novelties.

Chapman’s remains very much a family affair: David and Penny still come to work every day (they’re CEO and president, respectively). Ashley, who joined the family business in 2008, is chief operating officer, and his wife, Lesya, is marketing manager. 

While they may have been in survival mode at the start, David and Penny held fast to their philosophy to always make the consumer a priority – a key ingredient in Chapman’s success. Out of the gate, Chapman’s produced 15 ice cream flavours in two packaging formats at a time when competitors had just a few varieties. “There’s nothing like giving consumers choices,” says Penny. 

Chapman’s is known for its product innovation, and was a pioneer in offering items for people with special dietary needs and allergies. In 1999, Chapman’s made the first nut-free and peanut-free ice cream in Canada. “When my parents made the commitment to do this, there was no roadmap, there was no certification, and there was no governing body that told you about best practices,” says Ashley. “No one else was making peanut-free ice cream, so it was truly pioneering.” 

In the mid-90s, Chapman’s became the first manufacturer in North America to release a line of organic ice cream, although it didn’t stick with consumers at the time. “Many times, we have been too far ahead of the curve,” says Penny. “Our organic ice cream was fantastic, but there wasn’t much organic anything in the marketplace. Consumers didn’t understand the increased cost because the ingredients were so much more, so we had to say goodbye to it.”

This spring, Chapman’s is launching yet another trailblazing product line: Super Premium Plus, which the company bills as the world’s first allergy-friendly super premium ice cream. The new line, which has eight flavours, is peanut-free, nut-free and egg-free. 

We always say, ‘we make ice cream for everyone in Canada,’ but super premium is the one category we’ve never been a player in,” Ashley says. “The global market is dominated by two large-scale manufacturers in the category. Many companies have tried and failed to compete against them, so we needed something to set us apart.”

That’s when Lesya had the idea for the “plus” part: being allergy-friendly. “We thought if we’re going to take on the big players, we need a product that not only has something different about it, but is also a better tasting product than anything else on the market,” says Ashley – a feat he believes the company has achieved. 

When it comes to product innovation, being a family-owned and operated business allows Chapman’s to be nimble and make decisions quickly, which is clearly a competitive advantage. While launching new products at a multinational can be a years-long process from start to finish, Ashley says Chapman’s has the ability to just get things done. “Whenever we want to do something, we have a quick meeting and say, ‘this is what we’re going to do, and let’s get started tomorrow.’”

The company’s homegrown roots also give Canadians another reason to love Chapman’s. “It’s very unique to be a family-owned, Canadian company and we employ a lot of people in rural Ontario,” says Penny. “I think Canadians appreciate that and support us because we’re one of them.”

In turn, Chapman’s generously supports the local community, including contributing to infrastructure projects. Among its many initiatives, the company donated $1 million to the new Markdale Hospital; $1 million towards a new palliative care facility in Owen Sound named Chapman House; and donated $2 million to save Markdale’s only elementary school. 

As David points out, all of this wouldn’t be possible without the incredible people who work for Chapman’s, some of whom have been with the company for more than 40 years. “We’ve been very fortunate in that we’ve had some great people working for us and that's one of the biggest strengths – our people,” says David. “Without people, you don't have anything – you truly don’t. We really do appreciate that.”