Any Los Angeles County resident knows that there are a seemingly endless amount of ice cream shops scattered around. One place that really stands out, not just because of delicious ice cream, is Mother Moo! Tucked away in charming Downtown Sierra Madre, this ice cream shop is the kind of place that somehow gives you flashbacks to your childhood. With the scent of waffle cones wafting through the air and a menu written in chalk, the experience of being in the store is just as amazing as their scoops.
One thing that really makes Mother Moo special is all they do for the community. During difficult times, such as the Pandemic and Eaton fire, Mother Moo always shows up and is there to support the community in any way they can. It’s clear that everything about this place, from the quality to the charity, reflects the beliefs of Karen Klemens, the shop owner. During the visit to the ice cream shop, Klemens not only displayed the true and defining philosophy behind her business, but her interesting background too.
Anyone could walk into a grocery store and purchase a pint of ice cream for a few dollars, yet Klemens, the owner of Mother Moo, sells hundreds of scoops a day for the same price. This all goes back to her philosophy on what separates good ice cream from great ice cream. Klemens believes that quality is at the forefront of a delicious scoop.
When asked about what exactly makes Mother Moo’s ice cream special, she mentioned that, “It’s made of 100% organic dairy, you’ll walk into our kitchen and never see any cans.”
In an industry flooded with profit driven production, Klemens remains steadfast in her belief in authenticity and quality. Because of this, the flavors offered are constantly changing based on the freshest ingredients available. “Here, you won’t find strawberry on the menu year round,” Klemens mentioned. “That’s a flavor we only offer when they’re in season” While the menu might always be changing, the thing that doesn’t is the quality and care put into every batch.
You can see this belief in quality reflected in the shop itself. Instead of feeling like a business, Mother Moo feels like visiting your grandma’s house. The walls are stacked with classic candy, and the menu is written and updated in colorful chalk. The success of this ice cream shop is proof that personal connection and great quality can beat mass production.
Mother Moo is also a business which heavily focuses on supporting its community. After the tragic Eaton Canyon fires swept through Los Angeles County back in January, the business opened its doors to give out complementary ice cream and baked goods as a form of support for those affected by the fires.
After the Eaton fires, Klemens stated that, “We worked with World Central Kitchen; they purchased our cookies and we provided those cookies to their farmers market. And just having that community and helping our community that was hurting so much … it was some of the most amazing work I’ve ever done and, you know, I’ll never forget it.”
Very recently, after the government shutdown started, Mother Moo donated over 50 gallons of all types of nutritious milk to Friends In Deed, a nonprofit organization based in Pasadena which is dedicated to providing services for the homeless.
Mother Moo also enjoys participating in holiday traditions to further engage their community as well. During Halloween of this year, Mother Moo participated in the classic October 31 tradition of trick-or-treating along with over 55 other local businesses in Sierra Madre. Last Winter, Mother Moo held a Winter Market as well, introducing many limited-time flavors of ice cream specific to the holiday season.
Before Klemens ever started making ice cream, she was a journalist. For years, she worked in the media before eventually realizing that something was missing from her life; she wanted to do something she was truly passionate about.
Klemens attended one of the last and oldest standing ice cream schools in the United States at Penn State University.
“In Pennsylvania and on the East Coast, what do you do in the winter? You had all these dairy farmers who really couldn’t milk cows and so [the farmers] decided to do something different and started the school so that in the off-season for farmers, they could make ice cream and do other dairy products like cottage cheese and yogurt,” mentioned Klemens.
“I wanted to make a difference in the world,” Klemens said. “Something more community oriented.” Combining her love for kitchen arts, baking, and small business, she decided to open up Mother Moo Creamery in 2011.
Ultimately, Mother Moo is a business which delivers great quality for its customers and thus, keeps them coming back for more.
Additionally, the dedication Mother Moo’s owner, Klemens, has shown to helping her community is clear: through donating to food charity organizations, participating in holiday traditions, and offering complimentary goods to the community following the devastating Eaton fires.
The importance of community is vital to the success of a business, and that is strongly reflected in Mother Moo. Through their demonstrated commitment to being a helper for their community and focusing on the quality of their ice cream, they have managed to remain a popular ice cream spot within the pleasant town of Sierra Madre.
If there’s one clear aspect that has led Mother Moo to maintain its success, it’s that they have mastered the craft of a successful business on all fronts: authenticity, dedication, quality, and a strong sense of community.
