Long time since we blogged. Lots to tell!

2020 brought challenges to all of us. But, challenges also bring opportunities if one is open to the possibilities.

Things were going along great for us. We were making our vegan, non-dairy, allergy friendly ice creams, sorbets, and toppings and developed a great following at our farmers markets. During the summer, we were at 4-5 markets a week, making product the other days of the week, and sleeping when we could (housework can wait…) Even during winter we found events and markets where everyone loved our stuff. Summer, Winter Spring, and Fall, people loved our flavor selections and watching us scoop to order. Then, Covid-19 hit. Everything changed.

Stephen saw right away that our scooping in public days were over. I whined some, knowing how much customers love getting their Townie right from us, scooped to order; but I knew he was right. What to do to keep Townie going while keeping ourselves and our friends and neighbors safe from the virus? We decided to prepackage everything into pints. Although it takes a lot more time at the Townie kitchen, it was worth it to comply with the needs the virus imposed.

Winter farmers markets, festivals, and fairs got cancelled left and right. How to get our frozen deliciousness to our customers was the next challenge. In addition to working with our friends at Market2dayapp.com and the Marshfield Virtual Winter Market, we decided to offer delivery service ourselves. With significantly less automobile traffic on the road, we decided that we would delivery anywhere within an hour from our home base here in Hull with a minimum order of $30 or more. People responded! We made deliveries far and wide. At the height of isolation, we got to drive around to many beautiful communities and deliver in a safe way to our loyal customers. It was awesome to see smiles and know we were delivering happiness during a difficult time. Kids would be waiting at the window when they knew we were coming. People were grateful to be able to enjoy the small luxury of a pint of delicious frozen dessert while keeping themselves safe at home. Our delivery service kept our business going strong even at the height of home isolation. We are very grateful.

Summer brought it’s own challenges. Farmers market managers had their hands full trying to hold markets while complying with all the restrictions, rules, and regulations deemed necessary by the Commonwealth to keep vendors and shoppers safe. Some markets didn’t manage to get off the ground this season because of the complexities involved; but, those that did owe it all to the incredible work by dedicated market managers. We are indebted to those folks at the farmers markets in Dedham, Marshfield, Braintree, Original Easton, Weymouth, and Kingston. Because of their hard work, Townie was able to be at 4-5 markets a week. Later in the season, we added on appearances at Oakdale Farms in Rehoboth. We had a very successful summer season thanks to hard work and dedication on everyone’s part.

We’ve yet to tell you the biggest and best news. Here goes… We now make our ice cream base from scratch! We’re very excited about this and hope you will be, too. We know you will be when you taste it! Originally we’d been using someone else’s product. We purchased it by carton, rehydrated their powdered mix with water, then did our Townie magic with it. It was a good product, but then the ingredients were changed. We decided that we could do better ourselves. We consulted with two leaders in the frozen dessert industry - Steve Thompson of Emery Thompson Machine, the folks who built our frozen dessert machine, and with Malcolm Stogo, founder of Ice Cream University. With their help and guidance, we now make our vegan, non-dairy, allergy friendly ice creams from a base we make ourselves. The ingredients are very simple - organic coconut cream, vegan cane sugar, chicory root powder, tapioca syrup, water, stabilizer (guar gum, xantham gum), and lots of love. It makes our ice creams smooth, rich, and delicious. It has even fooled dedicated carnivores into thinking it was made with dairy cream. If you liked Townie before, you will love it now. We are so happy to have a product that is truly ours from start to finish. Does it take more time and effort? You bet it does. Is it worth it? 110% and then some! But don’t take our word for it. Order pints today and see for yourself. You’ll be able to answer a resounding YES when someone asks you “Are you a Townie?”

Our winter 2020-21 delivery service has begun. Visit our Winter 2020-21 and Order page for details.

We thank you all for your support of our local small business. We’ve got big plans for the future and they include you!