If anyone knows ice cream, it's the Schreider family.

Since 1986, Tom Schreider, founder and owner of White Mountain Ice Cream, has been the one making the sweet magic happen. Every morning during the season, he's up between 4 and 6 a.m. making a fresh batch from the same all-natural vanilla base he's used since day one, then folding in every mix-in by hand. Tom also personally tastes each batch to make sure it's the highest quality. Also because it's just really good.

Forty years later, the shop Tom built from scratch is still family run, still all natural, still 100% Canadian, and still serving the perfect cold treats.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Tom's daughter, Tess Schreider, who helps run the business today and will one day take it over, to hear the story behind 40 seasons of scoops.

Tess is just as devoted to ice cream as her dad. She shared with me that she eats it every single day, and she's never gotten sick of it. Maybe unbelievable to some, but if you've ever tried White Mountain ice cream, you'll understand why.

"Ice cream makes people happy," Tess cheerfully explained, "You just can't be sad when you have ice cream."

After meeting Tess and Tom, two of the nicest people you'll ever meet, I'm convinced a lifetime surrounded by ice cream really does make you sweeter.

For Tess, White Mountain Ice Cream is woven into every part of her life and family. She's watched her dad pour his heart into the shop, and you can hear how much pride and love she has for him and everything he's built when she speaks of it.

"It means a lot to me because this has just been a staple in my childhood," she said. "My dad is my favourite person ever, and just to be able to have something that I know he's put so much time and energy into, I just love it."

As a single dad, Tom often brought Tess and her sister, Emma along to the shop when they were little. Tess remembers sitting up front counting customers' change back when the shop was cash only. As the years went on, it became normal to see Tess, Emma, their friends, and cousins working the counter all summer long.

That sense of family shapes everything about how White Mountain is run. It's the reason the ice cream is all natural and 100% Canadian, the reason every batch is mixed by hand, and the reason every cone comes with a smile.

"It aligns with our family's values, therefore our business values, because the business is our family," Tess said. "We've always just been aware of what we're putting in our bodies, and we want to provide the quality ingredients that our bodies deserve."

Those family values are why the shop has never lowered the bar on what it serves, and why the people who come through the door matter just as much as what's in the cone.

"The regulars, they are very special, and they're more than customers; they almost feel a part of our family," Tess explained.

And yes, that includes the four-legged regulars! Pup cups have been on offer since the pandemic, and the staff love seeing the neighbourhood dogs roll in just as much as their humans.

A lot can change in 40 years, but the ice cream at White Mountain isn't one of them. Every batch is still made fresh from Tom's original vanilla base, and Tess walked me through exactly how it comes together.

"My dad pours the liquid in, which is the mix of cream, sugar and eggs, and then it churns and comes out in a thicker consistency," she said. "Then he adds the bits in and mixes it by hand."

It's the same simple process Tom has followed since 1986, and it's one the family has no plans to change.

"We haven't changed our product in over 40 years, and we've stayed true to our values," Tess explained.

You won't find any artificial colours, flavours, stabilizers or emulsifiers in the shop. The strawberry isn't hot pink and the mint isn't neon green, because they're made with fresh strawberries and pure mint oil. What you get is ice cream that's rich, creamy and tastes exactly like it should.

With a lifetime behind the counter and a scoop every day, Tess knows what makes the perfect cone, "The perfect ice cream cone is creamy and not icy at all. The cone itself needs to be very cinnamon-full. I prefer an ice cream with a lot of chunks in it, so it's gotta have a good ratio of ice cream to mix-ins," she explained. "And it needs to be served with a smile."

Without artificial stabilizers to hold it together, White Mountain's ice cream starts to soften the second it hits the heat. According to Tess, that's exactly how it should be.

"It should be melting. Real ice cream melts! Our ice cream, as soon as you step out of the store, it's melting. But that's how you know it's real."

Tess is expected to take over White Mountain from her dad one day, and for her, that future is inseparable from where the business began.

"I have the best memories, and I would love for my kids to have those memories," she said. "Also I need to continue to manufacture this quality of ice cream because it's hard to find in today's day and age. A lot of people just care about profits, and we're really passionate about quality."

That's the standard she plans to hold the shop to long after Tom hands over the churn: family first, quality over shortcuts, and the same simple, all-natural ice cream that's been served since 1986.

After 40 seasons, downtown Kingston is a much sweeter place because of it.