Kilwins fudge and ice cream business is celebrating the holidays with festive ice cream varieties. Pumpkin, pumpkin walnut, pumpkin fudge, peppermint, and peppermint fudge are among the new tastes. The business at Spanish Springs Town Square is co-owned by Gary and Dale Uptegraft. Gary commented, “The pumpkin walnut is great. All of our recipes are really good. We will be putting more in through the fall.” According to Gary, Kilwins presently has 32 signature ice cream creations.
Kilwins also sells caramel apples, fudge, ice cream cakes, chocolates, handmade marshmallows and other treats in addition to ice cream.
“We make everything from scratch here,” Gary said.
Gary and Dale make clients feel welcome while running Kilwins. The Uptegrafts make the store feel welcome and happy by meticulously cleaning countertops and tables, showcasing high-quality merchandise and more.
Dale appreciates the pleasant connections with consumers, she added.
“The look on customers’ faces—that is when you know you have done your job. That’s what pleases us,” Dale said.
According to the company’s website, Kilwins was founded in 1947 in Petoskey, Michigan, and is best known for sweets, ice cream and fudge. In September 2013, the Uptegraft family purchased the Kilwins business in The Villages.
“Hopefully, if everything goes right, we can open one or two of these in the new section of The Villages,” Gary said.
Gary was born and raised in Northern Michigan, and he has owned and operated a number of enterprises in North Carolina. Gary eventually relocated to The Villages to run Kilwins.
Gary stated that his cooks are required to follow Kilwin’s original recipes.
“Kilwins has their own chefs, and we go by their recipes,” Gary said. “We have it down to a science. They are good. They are very good.”
Kilwins, located at 1108 Main St. in Spanish Springs, is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.
