MSU Product Center honors Furniture City Creamery with the 2025 Barrier Buster Award
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EmailThe Grand Rapids-based ice cream company is recognized for their recent expansion.
The Michigan State University Product Center is awarding Rachel Franko, owner of Furniture City Creamery of Grand Rapids, Michigan, with the 2025 Barrier Buster Award. This award is given to a business that has overcome significant challenges in the past year.
Furniture City Creamery was opened in 2014 in a 496 square foot retail location on Cherry Street in East Hills. For a ten-year period, Franko and her team made their own ice cream, plus all the mix-ins like cookie dough and brownies (over 200 recipes and counting), in this small storefront location. They had been operating at capacity for approximately five years. Business growth demanded a larger production facility; however, the size of their location was considered a challenge by lending institutions.
In 2023, Furniture City Creamery overcame a financial barrier by securing a dairy business builder grant through the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA). This grant re-energized conversations with loan officers and provided lenders with confidence in the business’ growth potential, allowing them to secure the additional funding needed to scale-up operations to a 4,129 square foot building, which became operational in May 2024.
Franko also overcame another barrier by securing licensing as a dairy manufacturing plant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). This shift in licensing jurisdiction catapulted the Furniture City Creamery team into many new processes, new regulations, new equipment, new sanitization procedures, and a new inventory management system — all at the peak of the busy season.
“In an effort to understand the requirements needed to scale up a dairy business, my journey started with the MSU Product Center. My interactions with my counselor at the MSU Product Center helped me to start the initial paperwork for Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development licensing,” said Franko.
“These initial steps allowed me to connect with our inspectors who then sent me the application for the dairy business builder grant. Being awarded the DBIA grant was key to allowing
us to scale-up to a sustainable business model. Minus any one of these key resources, we would not have been able to scale up to where we are today,” she continued.
Mollie Woods, director of the MSU Product Center, said she is thrilled to be able to recognize Franko and the Furniture City Creamery team for their efforts that have led to their recent expansion: “This new expansion will allow Furniture City Creamery to expand their wholesale sales and catering in addition to maintaining their successful retail location on Cherry Street.”
Franko says they have started planning for a second retail scoop shop location, with hopes to open for business during the summer of 2025. To find their retail and wholesale locations, visit furniturecitycreamery.com and be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
For more information on the requirements to become a licensed Dairy Manufacturing Facility, see MDARD’s guidelines.
MSU Product Center
Michigan State University Extension and the MSU Product Center assist entrepreneurs and businesses to develop products and services in the food and agriculture markets. Its team of experts consult with clients on a one-on-one basis, helping new entrepreneurs navigate from concept development to launch and beyond. The MSU Product Center also offers specialized services such as labeling, packaging, and nutritional analysis. If you are interested in business counseling from the MSU Product Center, please visit our website.
