Mary Stevens/Daily Mining Gazette The Copper Scoop is located on Fifth Street in downtown Calumet.

CALUMET — Connected to the Frozen Farms Co in downtown Calumet, the Copper Scoop is Jean and Nathan McPharlan’s newest creation. This classic ice cream parlor opened for the season earlier this month bringing over 20 unique, handmade flavors that echo the culture of the Keweenaw.

Nathan McPharlan described his ice-cream making process, which includes a handheld blender and a hardening cabinet, which is like “a convection oven in reverse.” Once the ice cream is done in the cabinet, it’s ready to be served. “And that’s made in view of the customers, so if you’re buying ice cream you can see the machine there,” he added.

McPharlan highlighted his Keweenaw-focused flavors, which include thimbleberry, strawberry, and blueberry, all of which are sourced locally when the fruits are in season. The Copper Scoop also has a “Double Chocolate Copper Island Fudge” flavor, which includes locally-made fudge.

“When they come in, I hope they enjoy the ice cream and find that it’s different,” McPharlan said. “Different than most other places, in that it’s a very small batch. We have different flavors, made from scratch. As much as we can, we do local ingredients.”

He also commented on the steps the ice cream shop takes to ensure everyone can enjoy their creations. Other than ice cream, customers can find dairy-free sorbets, and a wide range of gluten-free and nut-free options. Nathan wanted to be sensitive to any allergies customers may have.

“We do our best,” he said. “We have a whole additional cabinet and made it only gluten-free.”

Nathan and his wife, Jean McPharlan, also own the recently-expanded Frozen Farms Co, which they started after more than a decade of cattle farming. Nathan McPharlan explained that Frozen Farms Co and the Copper Scoop are two separate businesses owned by the same family.

“We’ve lived here seventeen years,” Nathan said, explaining the family moved to the area after he was offered a job at a nearby hospital. “Calumet seems like the place to be, things are improving here. Lots of other businesses are remodelling. It’s really on its way up, it seemed like a good place to be.”

Frozen Farm Co’s expansion was awarded a Michigan Economic Development (MEDC) grant through the Community Revitalization Program. They were able to double their commercial space, and also created two residential units.

The Copper Scoop was given an ADA accessible entrance, bigger kitchen, and beautification along its 4th Street corridor. The overall cost of the renovation was $737,000.