I started building the Howdy Creams ice cream truck in the winter of 2020, and it was a travelling project for the next year and a half. It started as a 1976 GMC Vandura Frontier RV that was moldy and rotten. I tore it down to nothing, and built it back up to the cabin on wheels it is now.

About Howdy Creams

It Started as a hunk of junk and now it’s a hunk of junk with a cabin on it

I framed Howdy Creams literally on the side of the road in James Bay. Some neighbours were more pleasant than others. Apologies if you got any nails in your tires.

  • It took me a bout a year and a half of very sporadic building to finish the project. I am a tree planter as my main gig, and the Howdy Creams truck travelled with me all over the province from Victoria, to Parksville, to the Okanagan, and back while I slowly picked away at it. Surprisingly, I didn’t get pulled over once when driving a half framed cabin around the province. My knuckles were certainly white every time I saw a cop though.

  • I built the whole thing myself with very little carpentry experience. You can definitely tell! I even tried to hand split cedar shakes, but quickly realized I needed better straight grain cedar than they had in the Okanagan.

    I had many friends help me with the labour along the way!

  • I can get up to 80 or 90, but I’ll tell ya it takes the iron will of a true cowboy to bust this bronco.

Finishing up the build

My Ice cream Philosophy

Many moons ago I studied Sustainable Agriculture and Food systems at Trent University. This had a lasting impact on my food philosophy, and made me value the locality of food. This is why at Howdy Creams we prioritize using locally grown produce in our ice cream because we recognize the importance of small-scale growers in a community that values sustainability.

This was never how I intended to use my degree, but if I can provide a food-product that promotes small scale Vancouver Island growers, I think I will have put it to good use. It may sound ridiculous to think that my tiny ice cream business would have an impact on the food sovereignty of our community, but I’ll be damned if that stops me!

Growers we use

Growers we use

Growers

  • Michell’s Farm — Saanichton

  • Gobind farms — saanichton

  • Fruit Forest Farm — Cobble Hill

  • Island Farm Fresh Collective — VAncouver Island & Gulf Islands

  • And many more!

Dairy supplied by Birchwood Dairy in Abbotsford, BC.