Supporting Kids and Community: Camp Ice Cream

There is something about ice cream that brings people together. It might remind you of walking to the corner store with friends, stopping for a cone during a family road trip or sitting outside on a warm evening while your ice cream melts faster than you can eat it. For Marlies Wirzba, the owner of Camp Ice Cream, those memories are at the heart of the business.

“I remember as a girl, going to camp, and it was just that joy of being able to go to the shop — or having ice cream with your friends — and you’re just laughing,” she said. “I love ice cream. It creates nostalgia, it creates community and conversation. I just love what it brings to the table.”

That feeling has helped Camp Ice Cream grow from a recipe developed at home into a Medicine Hat business with a production facility, two retail locations and a food truck that regularly appears at markets and community events.

Starting with a Homemade Recipe

The idea behind Camp Ice Cream began several years before the business officially opened. The owner started developing her own ice cream base and experimenting with recipes in 2015. Friends and family encouraged her to take the idea further, and in 2020, Camp Ice Cream opened its original Homestead location alongside its food truck. Camp Ice Cream later expanded with an additional retail location on Dunmore Road, but the owner remains closely involved in the business. She continues to oversee quality assurance, develop new recipes and help guide production.

She was not completely new to the food-service industry. She also owns and operates a Tim Hortons location in Medicine Hat, giving her experience with staffing, customer service and the day-to-day realities of running a restaurant. Still, building an independent ice cream company presented an entirely different kind of opportunity.

Made from Scratch in Medicine Hat

Camp Ice Cream’s flavours all begin with the company’s own base recipe, which emphasizes natural, local ingredients. The ice cream contains no artificial colours or preservatives, and the team makes each flavour in-house, including the fruit mixtures, sauces, baked additions and other inclusions that are mixed into the finished product.

“We make it from scratch with fresh local ingredients,” Marlies noted. “All that we try to do is make the very best so that it’s not your typical ice cream full of air and chemicals.”

During the busiest months, production takes place Monday through Friday. Each week begins with the ice cream base, which is made on Monday and left to set overnight before it can be turned into the week’s flavours. Even the cinnamon waffle cones and waffle chips are made by the Camp Ice Cream team.

“We have a great partnership with Desert Springs Farm, as well as a honey farmer here in town and our local community roasters and bakeries,” she said.

The company works with several local and regional suppliers, including Desert Springs Farm, a Medicine Hat-area honey producer, local coffee roasters and local bakeries. Fresh fruit is sourced locally during the growing season, allowing Camp Ice Cream to create rotating summer flavours based on what is available. In winter, the company continues purchasing frozen fruit from many of the same suppliers, although the selection is more limited.

A Business Inspired by Camp

The Camp Ice Cream name reflects another one of the owner’s passions.

“I love camp because it’s all about activities, the outdoors and wildlife,” she said. “They go hand in hand.”

Camp also represents a sense of fun, friendship and freedom that fits naturally with the experience she wants the business to create. That connection goes beyond the company’s branding. Camp Ice Cream supports children’s summer camps and other charities through the sale of its pints, while also helping organizations raise money through custom flavours and fundraising partnerships.

“I found that a need for summer camps is support,” she said. “It became a passion to see these organizations thrive.”

Organizations supported by Camp Ice Cream have included kids summer camps such as Eagle’s Nest, along with other youth and community programs.

Creating Flavours for the Community

Community partnerships have become an important part of Camp Ice Cream’s identity. The business has worked with schools, charities, public organizations and private companies to develop custom flavours. Camp Ice Cream has also partnered with organizations such as the YMCA and created private-label products for other businesses.

These collaborations give organizations something unique to share with their customers, employees or supporters. They can also turn a new ice cream flavour into a fundraising tool, with a portion of sales supporting a local cause. The company regularly offers community promotions and giveaways as well, including specials tied to occasions such as Father’s Day.

“I like to create memories for people,” she said. “You gather with people and it’s just that sense of community and relationships — family and friends. People are happy when they have ice cream.”

Growing Through Markets, Events and Social Media

Camp Ice Cream has experienced steady growth since opening in 2020. A major part of that growth has been their food truck, which helps to introduce the brand to new customers. Camp Ice Cream attends many of the farmers’ markets held throughout Medicine Hat, along with community events where people can sample flavours they may not have tried before. For a product like handmade ice cream, tasting can make all the difference. Getting the truck into the community has helped Camp Ice Cream build recognition while developing relationships with customers face to face.

Social media has also supported the company’s growth. TikTok, in particular, has helped Camp Ice Cream connect with a younger audience and give people a look at the production process, new flavour launches and life behind the counter.

The company’s products are now available through additional retailers, including Co-op locations. Camp Ice Cream has also expanded through custom orders, private-label partnerships and more distant retail opportunities, including Reesor and a potential location in Swift Current.

Visitors to Medicine Hat are discovering the company too. Camp Ice Cream welcomes Sunshine Trolley groups to its Homestead production facility for approximately 45-minute tours. Guests can see where the ice cream is made, learn about the process and sample some of the company’s flavours. Many purchase something before leaving, while others return later in their visit to Medicine Hat.

Finding Ways to Grow Year-Round

Operating an ice cream business in southern Alberta is not without its challenges. Winter brings colder temperatures and fewer spontaneous trips for a cone. Because Medicine Hat experiences a longer winter season than many warmer markets, Camp Ice Cream adjusts its hours and staffing during the slower months.

Expansion outside the region presents another challenge. Ice cream needs to remain frozen throughout transportation, meaning deliveries to other cities require access to refrigerated vehicles and specialized shipping arrangements. Those added costs can make growth more complicated than simply placing the product on a shelf in another community.

Despite those challenges, Camp Ice Cream continues to look for new ways to reach customers while maintaining the quality that helped build the business in the first place. The company may have grown well beyond its original recipe, but its purpose remains straightforward: make excellent ice cream, support the community and give people another reason to spend time together.

“We produce high-end quality products,” the owner said. “All that we try to do is make the very best.”

And whether it is served from the Dunmore location, the Homestead shop or the window of the food truck at a local market, each scoop is meant to offer a small reminder of summer, friendship and the simple joy of sharing ice cream with someone you care about. 

Bringing All the Ingredients Together

As Medicine Hat and the surrounding communities continue to expand our agri-food and agri-tourism industries, it's companies like Camp Ice Cream highlight the interconnectedness of our local business environment. Passionate smaller brands both rely on, and support, regional producers including apiaries, dairies and greenhouses. A similar symboitic relationship exists between companies like Camp Ice Cream and tourism, whereby tourism provides customers yet high-quality products and experiences help create a reason to visit.

If you're curious about our regional agricultural and agri-food strategy, or our agri-tourism presence, visit the links below: 

Regional Agriculture & Agri-Food Investment Attraction Strategy (2026-2030)

Southeastern Alberta Producer Directory 

Where to Find Camp Ice Cream

Learn more about Camp Ice Cream's delicious local flavors, cold treats, and summer camp mission online (Facebook | Instagram), two in-store locations (1870 6 Ave SW | 3045 Dunmore Road SE), or their local food truck.