Generations of families, memories

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. — When a guest walks into Olson’s Ice Cream, Jeremy Hunt hopes a sense of nostalgia reflecting the creamery’s history washes over them. That nostalgia is what drew him to the business that has been a part of the Chippewa Valley’s landscape for more than 100 years, and a part of his own family’s history for nearly 20 years.

“It’s a fun industry,” Hunt said. “People come in with smiles on their faces; they are building memories with their families and friends. It’s a warm and welcoming place.”

Hunt, along with his parents, Dan and Linda, operate Olson’s Ice Cream, with a main location in Chippewa Falls and a second location in Eau Claire. Dan and Linda purchased the historic business from Howard and Dave Olson in 2007. Jeremy grew up helping his parents operate the business, and he officially joined them as a partner in 2018. The Eau Claire location opened in 2019.

“I’ve been working here since I was 13 or 14 years old, serving people and seeing those smiles,” Hunt said. “I got to learn all aspects of the business, from production, to serving customers, to the office bookwork.”

Olson’s Ice Cream’s roots date back to 1923, when Albert Olson began making ice cream at Knapp Creamery in Knapp. By the early 1940’s, the Olson family had moved to Chippewa Falls and began processing milk and making ice cream at Olson’s Creamland Dairy — the same location that the business occupies today.

In the mid-1970s, milk bottling operations ceased, and Albert’s son, Howar, chose to focus on crafting high-quality ice cream. He worked with another Wisconsin processing company to make the same ice cream mix his family had become known for, using only fresh whole milk and cream paired with sweetened condensed milk.

The collection of the Olson family’s tried and true ice cream recipes came with the business, but some of the fun of making ice cream is experimenting to develop new flavors, Hunt said. In total, the recipe book contains more than 250 flavors, ranging from classic and seasonal traditions to inventive concoctions.

Besides the traditional dish or cone — with a choice of cake or waffle cones — the menu includes a variety of treats like shakes, malts, floats, sundaes and homemade ice cream sandwiches. Ice cream is available in to-go pints, as well. The Hunts also offer an array of handmade, artisan-crafted popcorn flavors, made on site.

With 32 dipping stations and a wide selection of recipes to choose from, Hunt said flavors are rotated and changed often to keep the experience exciting.

“We have some core flavors that are always in there,” Hunt said. “Vanilla for shakes and malts, chocolate and strawberry are always in, along with some of our top flavors including raspberry cheesecake, Mackinac Island fudge, mint chocolate chip and cookie dough. Cotton candy is pretty popular, and so is our mocha mud pie. From there we have some that are specifically seasonal, and others that we just circulate in and out.”

Hunt’s personal favorite is mocha mud pie, he said.

“I’ve always liked that, even as a kid when I didn’t like coffee,” Hunt said. “It’s a coffee-based, cookies and cream type ice cream. There’s nothing fancy about making it, but I still like tasting it fresh, today.”

Crafting new flavors is more an art than a science, Hunt said.

“We’ll sometimes just look at what we have on-hand for ingredients that we already use and play around with different combinations of those,” Hunt said. “Sometimes a customer will come and make a suggestion. We’ve also done contests for suggestions and ideas for new flavors.”

The stores are open and scooping ice cream year-round, but sales fluctuate with the weather and calendar.

“We’ll go through anywhere from 500-1,000 gallons of mix a week,” Hunt said. “The actual yield of ice cream that makes depends on what flavor the finished product is.”

In addition to the two storefront locations, Hunt said their ice cream is available in several grocery stores and they work with a few other wholesale accounts.

Like many of their small business peers, Hunt said he faces challenges created by the economy and labor shortages. Having a degree in business and finance has helped him navigate however.

Creating the same high-quality product that draws customers in remains the priority Hunt said. Innovation, and a willingness to meet those customers where they are, is part of their business plan.

“We’ve been developing an event business that is growing,” Hunt said. “We have portable push-carts that we can take to events like weddings, graduations, corporate events, celebrations of life — you name it, if you want ice cream there, we’ll bring it.”

A pair of concession trailers also allow the Hunts to take their ice cream to larger events like music festivals and fairs.

“We have a kind of seasonal satellite location at Irvine Park, just a mile or so away from our Chippewa location,” Hunt said. “That’s a nice family spot, with a little zoo, kind of a local staple. We’re able to get out and serve our community, and help them build those fun, family experiences that will become lasting memories.”

For the Hunts, that is the foundation of their success: being a part of creating family memories that have more value than an ice cream cone.

“We have guests who bring their grandkids in,” Hunt said. “They tell us they’ve been coming in since they were kids, when their grandparents brought them in. That’s the part that really matters — generations, first of the Olson family and now our family, helping generations of other families make those memories and enjoying those bonds. I’m looking forward to watching future generations add to the story.”