As Howard County ice cream business grows, so does its charitable acts

A Howard County ice cream business has become so popular that it regularly sells out within minutes.

Good Karma Creamery is a small-batch shop that operates on a drop model, releasing only a limited number of flavors at a time.

The man behind the business is grateful for how much it has grown, but for him, success is defined by how much he can give back with his earnings.

"Something more fun"

John Williams' office looked a lot different years ago when he worked for T. Rowe Price.

He left the job in 2020 after about a decade.

"I did it for about 10 years; it was high pressure, and I saved some money," Williams said. "I decided that I would try doing something more fun for the next 30 years or so."

The idea of doing something "more fun" didn't turn into ice cream until months later, when Williams was sitting in his driveway.

"I was thinking about how much I like to eat ice cream and how I was getting bored with what I was getting from stores. So, at that moment, I went on Amazon, I bought a countertop ice cream maker and here we are five years later," Williams said.

Good Karma Creamery was born.

Williams first operated out of a kitchen in South Baltimore before growing enough to move into his current space in Columbia in October.

Everything at Good Karma Creamery is made from scratch, from the ice cream base to every component in each flavor.

Williams has always loved chunks and swirls in his ice cream, so they're a staple in the flavors he creates.

For example, the "Nobody Lay a Finger" flavor features a brown sugar vanilla base, along with a streusel made from Ritz crackers, Butterfinger candy bars and homemade peanut butter caramel.

"It's just a unique, textural experience with really bold flavors," Williams said.

Uniqueness has been Williams' focus from the start. He believed that if he created a product people would come back for, a loyal customer base would build on its own.

That's exactly what's happening.

There are now around 8,500 people on Good Karma Creamery's texting list for its drops, up from 1,400 when the company first moved into its Columbia kitchen.

Williams aims to create about five flavors for each drop. When the creamery first started, he produced about 40 pints per drop. Now, that number has grown to more than 2,000.

The drops were initially held every other week, but as the creamery's popularity grew, they became weekly.

Williams said he decided on the drop model after seeing how successful the concept was for other businesses.

WJZ spoke with several customers who picked up their ice cream during a drop in August. Their stories demonstrated just how popular the model has become.

"We sat there, made sure we had a stable Wi-Fi connection in our house so we could order our ice cream," said Rithesh Ram of Columbia.

"Once I tried my first pint, I was done after that. Now, my whole family is hooked," said Lynn Knight, who drove from Pikesville to get her ice cream.

Giving back

Williams is counting his blessings as his business continues to grow. But for him, success is also about being able to give back.

That's why, when WJZ visited, the creamery was holding a food drive for Grassroots Crisis Intervention, a nonprofit that provides a wide range of services, including a 24/7 crisis center.

All of Grassroots' services are free, and food donations are always needed.

"For us, to continue to receive in-kind donations is imperative for our ability to continue to provide services to individuals," said Mariana Izraelson, Grassroots' executive director.

Collection drives are now a permanent part of the creamery's business model, giving customers an incentive of early access to a future sale.

Williams said it's simply the right thing to do.

"As the business has grown and become profitable, I kind of look at that and I could take that, buy a bunch of things that I don't really need," he said. "Or, I can share it with other people."