Cows Creamery
Cows Creamery is a Canadian ice-cream manufacturer, retail parlour chain, cheese producer, and cow-themed merchandise brand founded on Prince Edward Island.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Cows Creamery is a Canadian food and retail brand associated with ice cream, cheese, tourism, and humorous cow-themed merchandise. It began in 1983 when the first Cows location opened in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. The business developed around the island’s visitor economy, combining a distinctive ice-cream parlour experience with branded apparel and souvenirs. Its visual identity is built around playful cow illustrations, informal naming, and a deliberately lighthearted presentation rather than a conventional premium-food or mass-market identity. Ice cream remains the brand’s central business. Cows is described as producing more than 32 varieties, including named flavours such as Gooey Mooey and Wowie Cowie. The company operates ice-cream parlours in several Canadian provinces, with locations identified in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario. The parlours function both as retail outlets and as destination experiences for visitors, particularly in tourism-oriented areas. Cows broadened its food portfolio in 2006 by moving into cheddar cheese. The expansion followed owner Scott Linkletter’s interest in cheese encountered in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. Linkletter worked with a local cheesemaker on the development of Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar, which became the company’s principal cheese product. The product uses a traditional clothbound cheddar technique and is aged for 12 months in large wheels. Its name refers to Avonlea, the fictional Prince Edward Island community associated with Anne of Green Gables. A second cheese, PEI Cheddar, was developed by Linkletter and Prince Edward Island cheesemaker Armand Bernard. The brand’s merchandise business is another important part of its identity. A Cows T-shirt design was created in 1987 by Prince Edward Island graphic artist Marc Gallant. After Gallant’s death in 1994, Cows president Scott Linkletter hired graphic designer Shawn Mader to continue the cow-themed design programme. Mader subsequently created more than 150 cow designs for products including shirts, calendars, mugs, and pens. This extensive graphic programme helped turn Cows from an ice-cream chain into a recognizable lifestyle and souvenir brand. Cows also invested in a larger production and visitor facility. In 2007, the company announced plans for a corporate office and centralized production site in Charlottetown, supported by a loan from the Government of Prince Edward Island. The planned facility was initially described as 25,000 square feet and later expanded in the plans to 32,000 square feet. It was intended to house ice-cream and clothing production, with cheese production incorporated into the later design. The facility was also conceived as a tourist attraction where visitors could observe aspects of manufacturing. Public recognition has reinforced the brand’s tourism-oriented positioning. Cows was named Canada’s best ice cream in a Reader’s Digest reader survey and was ranked first in Tauck World Discovery’s 2008 list of the world’s top ten places for ice cream. These distinctions, together with its island origins, parlour network, distinctive product names, and extensive merchandise graphics, position Cows as a Canadian regional food brand with strong experiential and souvenir appeal.
History
Cows Creamery originated in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, where its first location opened in 1983. The business was established as an ice-cream manufacturer and parlour chain tied closely to the island’s tourism economy. From the beginning, its identity extended beyond the food itself: the company used humorous cow imagery, playful flavour names, and branded retail products to create a recognizable visitor experience. The merchandise programme became an important part of the brand’s development. In 1987, Prince Edward Island graphic artist Marc Gallant created the original Cows T-shirt design. Gallant produced additional whimsical cow designs for several years, continuing until his death in 1994. Afterward, Cows president Scott Linkletter hired graphic designer Shawn Mader to continue the programme. Mader created more than 150 designs for apparel and other merchandise, including calendars, mugs, and pens. The design work helped make Cows products visible outside the parlours and gave the company a distinctive visual language based on cartoon-like cows and comic wording. Cows expanded into cheese in 2006. The move followed Linkletter’s interest in a cheese he encountered during a trip to the Orkney Islands in Northern Scotland. He partnered with a local cheesemaker to develop a recipe that became the foundation for Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar. During the development process, Linkletter and Prince Edward Island cheesemaker Armand Bernard also created PEI Cheddar. Avonlea is made in 10-kilogram wheels and aged for 12 months. Its clothbound designation refers to the traditional practice of wrapping cheddar in cheesecloth, a method associated with the historic cheddar-making tradition of Somerset, England. The name Avonlea connects the product with Prince Edward Island’s literary and cultural association with Anne of Green Gables. The cheese initiative gave Cows a specialty-food dimension in addition to its ice-cream business. Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar later received second prize in its category at the 2008 American Cheese Society conference in Chicago. The recognition supported the company’s effort to present itself not only as a novelty ice-cream chain but also as a producer of regionally associated, traditionally styled dairy products. In 2007, Cows announced plans for a new corporate office and centralized production facility in Charlottetown. The project was to be supported by a loan from the Government of Prince Edward Island. The original plan described a 25,000-square-foot facility modeled in part on the visitor-oriented headquarters of Ben & Jerry’s. By 2008, the planned size had increased to 32,000 square feet and the design included an area for cheese production. The site was intended to centralize production of Cows ice cream and shirts while allowing visitors to observe manufacturing, combining operational expansion with tourism and brand education. Cows’ reputation was reinforced by external recognition. A Reader’s Digest reader survey named it Canada’s best ice cream, while Tauck World Discovery ranked it first in a 2008 list of the world’s top ten places to get ice cream. The company’s Canadian store network expanded across Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario; the referenced account identifies 12 stores across Canada. Through this combination of parlours, packaged and specialty dairy products, merchandise, and visitor-oriented production, Cows developed from a single Prince Edward Island ice-cream location into a broader regional brand. The available reference material does not establish a separate corporate parent, public listing, current executive roster, or a more recent operating footprint.
- 2008
Facility plans expand to include cheese production
[1]The planned facility grows from 25,000 to 32,000 square feet in the reported design, which incorporates cheese production.
- 2008
Cows receives major ice-cream and cheese recognition
[1]Cows is reported as Canada’s best ice cream in a Reader’s Digest survey, is ranked first by Tauck World Discovery among its top ten ice-cream destinations, and Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar wins second prize in its category at the American Cheese Society conference.
- 2007
Charlottetown facility is announced
[1]Cows announces a planned corporate office and centralized production facility in Charlottetown, supported by a Prince Edward Island government loan.
- 2006
Cows enters cheddar cheese
[1]The company expands into cheese, introducing Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar and PEI Cheddar.
- 1994
Shawn Mader continues the cow-themed design programme
[1]Following Marc Gallant’s death, Cows president Scott Linkletter hires Shawn Mader to continue developing the brand’s graphic merchandise.
- 1987
Original Cows T-shirt design is created
[1]Prince Edward Island artist Marc Gallant creates the first Cows T-shirt design, establishing the brand’s long-running merchandise tradition.
- 1983
First Cows location opens in Cavendish
[1]Cows begins operations in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, as an ice-cream manufacturer and parlour business.
Products and positioning
A playful Canadian destination-food brand combining island-made ice cream, specialty cheddar, parlour tourism, and whimsical cow-themed design.
Ice cream · 1983
Cows ice cream
Cows’ core product line comprises more than 32 reported ice-cream varieties sold through its parlours and related retail operations. The range is presented with distinctive, humorous names, including Gooey Mooey and Wowie Cowie. Ice cream is central to the brand’s visitor-oriented identity and is closely associated with the company’s Prince Edward Island origins and Canadian parlour network.
Cheddar cheese · 2006
Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar
Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar is Cows’ signature specialty cheese. It is made in 10-kilogram wheels and aged for 12 months. The clothbound name refers to the traditional practice of wrapping cheddar in cheesecloth, while Avonlea references the Prince Edward Island setting associated with Anne of Green Gables. The cheese received second prize in its category at the 2008 American Cheese Society conference in Chicago.
Cheddar cheese · 2006
PEI Cheddar
PEI Cheddar is a second cheese developed during the company’s move into cheddar production. It was created through collaboration between Scott Linkletter and Prince Edward Island cheesemaker Armand Bernard and complements the more specifically styled Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar.
Apparel and souvenirs · 1987
Cows merchandise
Cows merchandise includes its classic cotton T-shirts, calendars, mugs, pens, and other cow-themed products. The line is based on a large archive of whimsical illustrations that began with Marc Gallant’s 1987 T-shirt design and was later expanded by Shawn Mader, who is reported to have created more than 150 cow designs.
Brand decisions
2007
Plan for a centralized Charlottetown facilityStrategyBackground
The company sought a larger base for its expanding ice-cream and merchandise operations while maintaining a visitor-focused brand experience.
Action taken
Cows announced a planned corporate and production facility in Charlottetown, initially described as 25,000 square feet and later expanded in the plans to 32,000 square feet. The design was intended to include ice-cream, clothing, and cheese production as well as visitor viewing areas.
Aftermath
The project was presented as both a production hub and a tourist attraction. The available reference does not confirm its final construction or operating status.
2006
Expansion from ice cream into cheddar cheeseStrategyBackground
Cows had established itself around ice cream and parlours before exploring specialty cheese. Owner Scott Linkletter’s interest in Scottish island cheese helped motivate the development of a new cheddar line.
Action taken
The company worked with cheesemakers to develop Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar and PEI Cheddar.
Aftermath
The move broadened Cows into specialty dairy foods, and Avonlea later received second prize in its category at the 2008 American Cheese Society conference.
Recent events
- 2008
Cows receives international ice-cream ranking recognition[1]
Other
Tauck World Discovery placed Cows first in its list of the world’s top ten places for ice cream.
- 2008
Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar receives an American Cheese Society award[1]
Other
Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar won second prize in its category at the American Cheese Society conference in Chicago.
- 2007
Cows announces a new Charlottetown production and visitor facility[1]
Other
The company announced plans for a larger Charlottetown corporate and production facility intended to centralize ice-cream and clothing production and provide a visitor attraction.
- 2006
Cows begins producing cheddar cheese[1]
Product launch
Cows expanded beyond ice cream into cheddar cheese, introducing Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar and PEI Cheddar.
Sources2 sources
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