Learn about Furniture City Creamery founder, Rachel Franko
Written by Jordan Kossuth
photo courtesy of Ashley Wierenga
Meet Rachel Franko
Rachel Franko earned her chemical engineering degree from Michigan State University and spent over a decade working in the field. Despite her success, she always felt a strong pull toward the food industry. While her engineering career offered valuable experience, it eventually became less hands-on, and she found herself craving a more creative outlet.
During a flight to meet a client, she came across a magazine article about creameries on the West Coast, which reignited her passion. Coincidentally, she had received an ice cream maker as a wedding gift the year before, and that moment sparked the beginning of her journey. She began developing recipes, drawing on her background in mixed processes, and the idea for her business quickly took off. Today, Rachel runs Furniture City Creamery – a woman-owned ice cream shop that reflects her unique blend of scientific expertise and culinary creativity.
Setting Up Shop
In 2014, Rachel opened Furniture City Creamery’s first retail location at 958 Cherry Street SE, a charming space with a nostalgic ice cream parlor vibe that quickly became a beloved fixture in Grand Rapids’ East Hills neighborhood. As business grew, Rachel began exploring wholesale opportunities – but the original 500-square-foot shop simply couldn’t support the scale of production required.
That changed in June 2024, when Furniture City Creamery expanded into a dedicated production facility in the Creston neighborhood. Outfitted with pasteurizers and ample storage, the new space enabled wholesale distribution and streamlined operations for them to expand into the retail space.
Alongside the production hub, they have since opened a second shop at the Creston facility – fondly known as the “Sweets-N-Treats” location – where they offer a variety of handmade and pre-packaged treats alongside their signature handmade ice cream.
Ice cream is produced daily in small, efficient batches – typically 36 tubs a day, each yielding about 15 pints. The Creston site now supplies both retail locations, with plans to support future scoop shops as the brand continues to grow!
photo courtesy of Ashley Wierenga
Scoop Dreams: From Mix to Mastepiece
Furniture City Creamery takes handcrafting quality ice cream seriously – everything is made completely from scratch using simple, high-quality ingredients. Their process is rooted in science and experience, and an incredible amount of effort is put into each batch.
Their ice cream making process has continued to evolve as a result of their new production facility. They start by combining sugar, salt, egg yolks, milk, and cream, then cooking this mixture on the stovetop before cooling it down. This is also when pasteurization happens when producing ice cream pints for wholesale distribution. The next day, the chilled base is poured into a machine which whips it up and dispenses.
Each ice cream base is naturally gluten-free, and they have over 20 different basic mix recipes to build off. Some of the mix-ins – cookies, chocolate chunks, and sauces, to name a few – are incorporated into the ice cream while on the stovetop, while others are added after churning. For vegan flavors, the process is similar but simpler: they skip pasteurization, and the mix is made using only sugar, coconut milk, and salt.
Once the ice cream is ready, it is hand-packed into pints or prepared for catering orders, with the final product freezing overnight. The entire process takes about 3 days from start to finish – which is about how long it takes us to get through a pint of Furniture City Creamery ice cream!
Churning out New Flavors
Over the years, Rachel and her team at Furniture City Creamery have handcrafted more than 200 unique flavors, driven by a simple philosophy – you can make anything into an ice cream flavor. From timeless classics to bold seasonal creations, their ever-evolving menu is a testament to creativity and local collaboration.
The shop typically features ten rotating flavors at a time, with staple categories like peanut butter-based, salty/sweet combos, and citrus-forward treats. Fan favorites include the wildly popular Peanut Butter Oreo, and the crave-worthy Putt’n on the Ritz, which features a salty-sweet blend of Nutella and Ritz crackers. Rachel’s personal favorites include Vanilla Malt Chocolate Chunk, Peanut Butter Oreo, and Tart Cherry Chocolate Chip – each one a delicious reflection of the shop’s inventive spirit.
Furniture City Creamery has also found success in collaborations with other local businesses. Fatty Daddy Doughnut ice cream is a buttery sweet cream ice cream base swirled with Fatty Daddy Doughnut’s Birthday Cake Doughnut. Their collaborative flavor with the Cakabakery, D’OUGH!, is designed to taste like creamy raw cookie dough, with chocolate chunks throughout. And this summer they introduced a spiced and creamy Horchata Creamsicle with Asada on Wealthy Street.
“Every day when you walk through our doors, there’s something new to discover. If you find a flavor you love, be sure to let us know, and grab some while it’s available!”
Every time they run out of one flavor at the shop, another is quick to take its place, and they are sure to keep things fresh with seasonal and holiday highlights. Spring and summer bring bright flavors like Carrot Cake and Blueberry Cobbler, while winter ushers in cozy indulgences like Mexican Hot Chocolate, Reindeer Traxx, and Peppermint Bark.
Feeling adventurous? Try bold creations like Chocolate Covered Potato Chip or Sweet Corn – crafted with fresh-picked Michigan sweet corn. And for a playful twist on a timeless classic, their Butter Pecan boasts:
“This isn’t your grandma’s butter pecan. Unless your grandma’s butter pecan is awesome – in that case, it might be.”
photo courtesy of Ashley Wierenga
Local Licks
As you can imagine, demand for handcrafted locally made ice cream skyrockets in the summer months, and you can find Furniture City Creamery at various events throughout the city. The Furniture City Creamery Food Truck or cart can often be spotted at Food Truck Fridays in Riverside Park, Byron Center’s Movies in the Park, and keeping everyone cool during Grand Rapids Pride Fest. This month you can catch them at the 28th Street Metro Cruise, as well as the Return to the River Festival in downtown Grand Rapids!
In addition to their brick-and-mortar retail locations, they also offer a variety of different catering experiences.
Planning a birthday bash, family reunion, or neighborhood get-together? Their whimsical ice cream cart is a crowd-pleaser, stocked with pre-packaged ice cream cups and nostalgic treats like ice cream sandwiches. For those seeking a dairy-free delight, the vegan-friendly Lemon Chill offers a refreshing twist on the classic Italian ice – zesty, cool, and utterly crave-worthy.
Looking to add a hands-on element to your gathering? Their Sundae Bar delivers an interactive experience that guests of all ages will love. Choose from creamy vanilla or rich chocolate ice cream, then pile on your favorite house-made sauces and toppings for a personalized masterpiece in every bowl.
photo courtesy of Ashley Wierenga
Bridge Street Market
Making connections truly is the most important piece in building a small business. Since opening their first location on Cherry Street, Furniture City Creamery has been getting their milk from Cedar Crest Dairy. They became good friends with the delivery driver, who also happened to deliver products to Bridge Street Market. He put Rachel in contact with Bridge Street Market, and after a successful taste-test, we’re proud to sell pints of Furniture City Creamery ice cream in stores.
Stop in to stock up on your favorite Furniture City Creamery flavors in our freezer section – including a seasonal vegan offering!
· Peanut Butter Oreo – Peanut butter and Oreos swirled into a sweet cream ice cream.
· Key Lime Pie – Key lime ice cream with swirls of graham cracker crust.
· D’ough! – A creamy chocolate chip dough ice cream with large chocolate chunks throughout.
· Samoa Cookie – Reminiscent of the popular cookie with toasted coconut, chocolate flakes, and a caramel swirl in buttery sweet cream ice cream.
· Putt’n on the Ritz – Nutella and Ritz crackers swirled into a salty and sweet ice cream.
· Butter Pecan – A classic for a reason with toasted and buttered pecans in a buttery brown sugar ice cream.
· Mint Oreo – Oreos swirled into a mint ice cream base.
· Chocolate Overload – House-made brownies and chocolate flakes swirled into a rich chocolate ice cream.
Ice cream is not seasonal, and neither is Furniture City Creamery. They are open all year round, so be sure to stop in and try something new, or stock up on your favorites. And check out their Instagram to stay updated on what flavors they’re stocking today!