Ice Cream’s A Treat for Epworth Home

Epworth Ice Cream Co. – a business launched just four months ago – is already proving to be a sweet success for Epworth Children’s Home, a Methodist-based institution housing about 70 youth at its Columbia campus.

Company president David Mackey (shown at left with Rotarian Jim Potter) was Capital Rotary Club’s Nov. 7 guest speaker. Mackey said his star product – peanut butter ice cream – is based on a recipe created by Epworth Home in the 1930s.

Today’s premium-brand Epworth Ice Cream comes in three other flavors as well. It’s made by an artisanal firm in Georgia and sold in pre-packaged cups, pint containers and in bulk to local restaurants. All profits go to the children’s home, and Mackey envisions a future where expanded local, statewide and regional sales might not only generate a healthy income, but also raise awareness of Epworth’s history and mission.

A Richmond, VA native, Mackey graduated from Randolph-Macon with a BA in economics and from Wake Forest with an MBA in business/marketing. He created a business plan and raised funds critical to Epworth Ice Cream’s start-up over the past year.