A Look Back

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.”

1973

Cream by Penny and David Chapman, in Markdale, Ont.

1980 – Chapman’s starts making Premium ice cream.

1985 – A new line of sorbet (under the name Sorbetto) is developed for people who can’t have dairy

1989 – Chapman’s launches its frozen yogurt line, becoming the only ice cream manufacturer in Canada at the time making frozen yogurt

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1994 – Chapman’s ice cream sandwich hits store shelves

1999 – The company makes the first nut-free and peanut-free ice cream in Canada

2000 – Chapman’s builds a high-tech wastewater treatment plant to purify the 800,000 litres of water used daily with a reverse osmosis system added later

2001 – To better serve customers in Atlantic Canada, Chapman’s opens a distribution centre in New Brunswick

2006 – Chapman’s expands to every province in Canada

2008 – Ashley Chapman joins the family business

2009 – Chapman’s suffers a devastating fire that completely destroyed the factory

2010 – Chapman’s builds two new production facilities, one of which, named Phoenix, is completely nut-free and peanut-free, and has more than 160,000 square feet of production space, almost twice the size of the old factory

2015 – The Chapman family donates $1 million towards the construction of a new local hospice in Owen Sound, which opened in 2017

2016 – Chapman’s wins three awards from the International Ice Cream Consortium: Best Ice Cream (for its Premium Caramel Saucy Spots), Most Innovative Ice Cream, and Ice Cream Maker of the Year

2023 – Chapman’s celebrates its 50th anniversary and is launching its Super Premium Plus ice cream