How Cream of the Crop rose to success

Editor's note: This holiday season, in support of local small businesses, the Huron County Growth Partnership featured several businesses. This is one of several businesses the agency recently highlighted. WAKEMAN — When longtime teacher Keely Krumwiede retired in 2020, she decided it was time to trade lesson plans for waffle cones. With no ice cream shop in Wakeman, Krumwiede wanted to bring something fun and delicious to her hometown. Her sister-in-law owned the barbershop next door, and when the neighboring building opened up, the timing was perfect. That's how Cream of the Crop Ice Cream Shop was born. Cream of the Crop today is known for its mix of soft serve, purchased locally from Toft Dairy, and homemade hard ice cream, made in small batches with a creamy 15% butterfat mix. After two years of sourcing from Nuhfer's, Krumwiede took the plunge to make all of the hand scooped in-house, creating ultra-rich, flavor-packed ice cream that's truly local from scoop to cone. Fan favorites include butter pecan; cookie dough monster; brownie brickle; Parent Trap, which is a mix of peanut butter and Oreos; and pineapple pistachio. This goes along with signature ice cream cakes, decorated by Megan Culler, and "cow pies," which are ice cream pies that have become customer favorites. Krumwiede's passion for community runs deep. Cream of the Crop partners with Sweetings Orchard, using locally grown peaches, blackberries and raspberries to create more than 900 pints of farm-fresh ice cream this season. The shop also supports the community Concert in the Park with an ice cream social and helps organize the Christmas in the Village. Most importantly, it provides job opportunities for local teens, a team Krumwiede proudly calls "the best group of girls around." Opening during the pandemic wasn't easy. Between inspections, permits and construction challenges, there were plenty of hoops to jump through. But with persistence and a creamery her husband had built right on their farm north of town, Krumwiede turned her dream into a thriving small-town staple. This Small Business Saturday, Nov. 29, Cream of the Crop is, once again, offering its famous ice cream advent calendar: 24 mystery flavors, one for each day leading up to Christmas. The calendar was a huge hit last year, selling nearly 300 boxes, and it's quickly become a holiday tradition for families near and far. Stop in during their winter hours, from noon to 8 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, to pick up your advent calendar, enjoy a festive scoop or take home a pint or pie to share this season.