By Katrina Marshall
Thanks to a wee bit of Irish luck, it’s only a short drive to Fond du Lac for “the best ice cream in the middle of nowhere.”
In a hay field surrounded by 220 acres of farmland stands Kelley Country Creamery. Karen and Tim Kelley, along with their five children — Amie, Betsy, Heidi, Molly and Clark — own and operate the ice cream shop, as well as nearby Kelley’s Farmstead and Kelley’s Oak Lawn Farm.
“When we opened the ice cream business in 2010, people would say, ‘Why would you build this in the middle of nowhere and expect people to come?’ We decided to use that as our tagline,” Karen Kelley says.
In the 1800s, the Kelleys immigrated from Ireland, landed in Boston and moved west to Wisconsin. Upon settling in Fond du Lac in 1861, they bought and farmed the land on the present-day Kelley property. Today — 161 years and six generations of Kelleys later — the family continues to be recognized for dairy farming practices, remains committed to sustainable local agriculture and keeps its 65 Holsteins on green pastures — important for the quality and taste of the Grade A milk they provide for the creamery’s confections.
Dozens of unique, seasonal flavors satisfy every taste, including barnyard bash (maple walnut ice cream with pieces of pancakes, waffles, French toast and walnuts), brown Swiss (named after the dairy cow, of course) and fruity blueberry torte.
“It’s not only about having a quality product, but also having that experience: kids running around and rolling down the hill, eating at picnic tables … I think that’s what people enjoy when they come here,” Kelley says. “Just getting out in the country and into a rural setting is always a plus.”
