Local Love Blog Series – Lovely Ice Cream

Welcome back to the Local Love Blog Series!

As a completely random happenstance, this week’s feature just happens to be the amazing counterpart to last week’s feature! I’m so excited to share with you everything that Conor McKeown has got going on with Lovely Ice Cream.

In the past year, Conor has connected with anyone who loves to infuse a little joy in their day – specifically in the form of ice cream treats! Lovely Ice Cream offers pints and cups of ice cream, as well as ice cream treats such as ice cream cookie sandwiches and ice cream cakes. All of these are offered in their extensive line of delicious flavours. Conor will even work with a few of their VIP wholesale customers to come up with completely unique and custom flavours!

Conor’s dedication to taste and flavour is what sets Lovely Ice Cream apart.

All of the ice cream is entirely homemade, and uses the freshest ingredients available. In the spring of 2020, during our first COVID lockdown, Conor started experimenting with making ice cream. Drawn by the ability to create flavours that didn’t yet exist that simply needed to be made, Conor started coming up with amazing creations like Custard & Blueberries.

Of course, it makes perfect sense that having people enjoy what he’s cooked is one of Conor’s greatest joys. His favourite part of Lovely is getting to bring a little joy into people lives. He finds inspiration for new ice cream flavours from a variety of places. It can be as simple as reading about food from a faraway country, eating a perfectly ripe fruit, or eating a great local meal – there’s no shortage of delicious inspiration.

Conor has such a beautiful and humble approach to Lovely Ice Cream.

He isn’t looking for Lovely to become the next ice cream empire, but rather genuinely wants to make really great ice cream for the Bow Valley. His commitment is to contributing something special to his community and for his family and friends. During a time that has been tough for many, being able to provide a little joy in the form of ice cream has been incredibly rewarding for Conor.

As his wife, Alexis, started posting amazing pictures of his ice cream on her Instagram page, people started to inquire about how they could get their hands on it. Despite only making ice cream as a hobby at that point, Conor had a feeling that there might be something more to it than what he’d originally thought. With the amazing support from Alexis, Lovely Ice Cream opened for business later that fall.

Originally from Edmonton, Conor has been a Bow Valley local for long enough to have a few great shout out’s to make.

His first shout out is no doubt his amazingly talented wife, Alexis McKeown (check out her feature from last week here)! Conor also wanted to shine some light on Bryony Toon, woodburning artist who also worked with Lovely for the summer, and his studio neighbour Barb Fyvie, revered local painter. Conor also wanted to shout out a few companies doing great work, like Bow Valley SUP & Surf, Epicureans Canmore, and Wild Life Distillery. His local charity of choice has always been Rocky Mountain Adaptive, wholeheartedly supporting all of the amazing work the folks there are doing to create amazing outdoor experiences for people. Lastly, Conor wanted to thank Stonewaters for being wonderfully supportive in working with through Lovely’s first summer in operation.

Getting a message from a customer after they’ve tried the ice cream for the first time gives reassurance to all the hard work put in creating the treats. Like any new business, becoming known in the community is always a challenge but Lovely Ice Cream is on it’s way to being a key source of joy in the Bow Valley.

Next time you’re looking for a special treat, a pick-me-up, or something to add to your regular shopping list, make sure you check out Lovely Ice Cream. You can easily order online from their website, or stay up to date with all their happenings on Instagram and Facebook. The ice cream lover inside will thank you – I promise!

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