Mike Crowe Launches Kawartha Dairy Ice Cream Tragically Hip on June 22
Kawartha Dairy ice cream tragically hip launched on June 22, giving the company a limited-time product tied to one of its most Canadian pairings. The flavour arrived just in time for Canada Day celebrations, and the short run narrows the buying window for anyone who wants it.
Mike Crowe, the third generation owner and director of product development, led the work after months of development, taste testing and tweaking. He said he drew on the way the History and Discovery Channel reality programs he enjoys watching, particularly “American Chopper,” shape a product from the ground up.
Crowe’s Maple First
The flavour blends maple whisky flavoured ice cream, dark chocolate chunks and a rich black cherry ripple. Crowe said he first landed on maple syrup before adding whisky and dark chocolate chunks, then connected the mix to what he saw as the band’s defining traits.
“What’s more Canadian than that?” Crowe said of the maple syrup direction. He also said, “I really liked that approach, so I started looking at what makes the Tragically Hip unique.”
Somerville on Canadian Brands
Dana Somerville framed the partnership in straight commercial terms: “Kawartha Dairy and the Tragically Hip are two incredibly Canadian brands. It was a natural fit.” That language matches the product itself, which was built around Canadian branding rather than a one-off novelty.
The collaboration started with a conversation between the Hip’s lawyer Paul Banwatt and Old Dog Brewery owner Scott Nichol, who shared the idea with Crowe. After that, the product moved from concept to recipe work, with the company testing how the band’s identity could translate into a flavour that also had enough contrast to stand apart on shelf.
June 22 and the Limited Run
The limited-time launch gives the ice cream a built-in scarcity that matters for shoppers deciding whether to buy now or miss the run entirely. Crowe said he was impressed by the way the team connected with the client, “getting to know them, what makes them unique, and translating that to what they were building.”
He also described the band in terms that fit the product brief: “They’re certainly not run of the mill. They’re chameleon-like. And I think that’s what people love about the Hip. Those unique qualities,” he said. For customers, that means this is less a permanent addition than a seasonal release aimed at a Canada Day moment, with the launch date doing as much work as the flavour list.
