Carol Johnson | Southern Indiana Business Report
MONTGOMERY – Continuous improvement has been Zach Graber’s guiding philosophy since he made his first batch of ice cream. At just 22, Graber founded what would become Zax Creamery in Daviess County in 2018.
Graber’s drive to be the best has once again earned Zax Creamery top awards from the North American Ice Cream Association for its three homemade flavors – vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry – at the 2025 convention which took place in West Palm Beach, Florida, late last year. Zax Creamery’s Cherry Cordial placed second nationally for Best New Flavor in the non-dairy division.
Over the last seven years, Zax Creamery has grown from a single ice cream trailer to two locations, catering, and its ice cream is served in the hotels and restaurants of the French Lick Resort. The business employs a staff of 50 who serve up homemade ice cream and specialty coffees in the two stores in Montgomery and Jasper.
Graber was 22 and working as a draftsman at Graber Post Buildings in Daviess County when a friend and co-worker suggested he had the personality and drive to start his own business.
Graber was happy with his job at GPB – a job he expected to stay at for many years. But the idea of starting a business stuck with him.
Graber had always loved ice cream. During family vacations in Florida, one of his favorite things was getting ice cream at Big Olaf Creamery in Pinecraft, a small community in Sarasota. As he mulled the idea of opening an ice cream business and thinking about what he was passionate about, other factors were lining up. There was no place in Montgomery to get hand scooped ice cream or a specialty coffee. Montgomery lacked any kind of coffee shop or gathering place. Owning a business where he could interact with customers and employees was another plus.
In 2018, while still working at GPB, Graber bought a food trailer and opened a licensed location of Big Olaf Creamery in Montgomery. In the spring of 2019, the opportunity to open a Jasper location presented itself when an ice cream business in town closed its doors.
Six months after moving into the Jasper location, Graber had an opportunity to buy the ice cream-making equipment and that’s where his story took a turn.
Running two locations and still working his full-time job was a lot, but he was managing.
Churning out ice cream for his stores would require a full-time commitment. In 2020, Graber made the decision to leave GPB and focus on the business full time. He rebranded to Zax Creamery to spotlight the shift to fully in-house, homemade production – including innovative dairy-free and keto-friendly options.
Graber sat down with Southern Indiana Business Report recently to talk about Zax Creamery, from its beginnings to where it is now.
Exceptional quality is important to you, talk about the early days when you started making ice cream and your drive to always get better?
I’ve always had a passion for ice cream and I’ve always been someone who likes to cook, create and make recipes the best they can be. As someone who likes to be creative, ice cream is another way to express that. I’m my biggest critic, so if it’s good, and I know it can be made better, then I want to improve it. That’s why I like the Ice Cream Clinic at the annual ice cream convention – it shows me where we can improve, and sets an impeccable standard for our products.
Besides ice cream, Zax Creamery also serves specialty coffee. What led you to add a line of coffees to the menu?
Selling ice cream year round can be challenging in a winter climate. We opened on Dec. 1, which is crazy because you don’t sell a lot of ice cream in the winter. Coffee would allow us to offer a product that would keep people gathering in our store regardless of the season. We also pride ourselves on offering superior coffee products that also have superior impacts around the world. Coffee drinkers are creatures of habit, and I’m a big believer in earning your next customer. It is a great thing to support a small business, but it’s my goal to provide other tangible reasons that go far beyond myself that encourage new customers to support our business. That is why we go the extra mile with our processes and product sourcing to add a little more meaning and intentionality to your next sip of coffee.
You are very particular about the coffee you serve, talk about that.
Paul and Grace Kurtz are our coffee roasters in Ohio that I met through a local church conference. They work with growers who weren’t getting paid a fair price by the larger coffee buyers. I wanted to source our coffee knowing who it came from, and that our supply chain was taking care of the community laboring to grow and harvest it. We’re proud to be a part of their story and how they and their company Hemisphere Coffee Roasters are continuing to sustain these farmers. It’s a small business with a very large impact.
What are some challenges you’ve experienced growing Zax Creamery?
The first challenges began with opening a second location within six months of opening the first. We opened on Dec. 1 and the opening weekend in Jasper was Memorial Day weekend the following spring. There were so many challenges from having enough product on hand and training employees. But it was a blessing that I was able to do that as a 22-year-old before starting a family. The sacrifices and risks that I was able to take on at a young age would be much more challenging to balance with a family to care for financially, while also trying to balance time at home.
When you first opened in Montgomery, were there naysayers?
Early on, yes. There were people who doubted and I’m proud to say I was right there with them. I didn’t know how it was going to work out but I was determined to be faithful with the first steps, and explore what was possible for this business. I was still working my full-time job for the first two years, and always assumed it would be a casual side business.
How many ice cream flavors can customers choose from?
We have 16 flavors out at one time, in addition to 3 to 4 Keto and Dairy Free options. We’ve made hundreds of flavors over the years. Some we may never make again, some we would love to make again but it is difficult to work into our rotation with new flavors and trends. We always encourage our customers to recommend flavors to our servers if there’s a favorite flavor they really enjoy and want to see again.
What’s a flavor that was out of the box?
Over Thanksgiving, we introduced Yes, Yam, which was made with sweet potatoes. It was a great flavor that people really liked and they were surprised it had sweet potatoes since its profile was similar to pumpkin flavors we’ve made in the past. We’ve also recently featured a Blueberry Muffin flavor. The base was a nice blend of brown butter, cinnamon, and a hint of lemon zest, with our house made blueberry muffins throughout. We don’t push the envelope too far. We know our customers and what they like. We like to bring fun, interesting flavors but also not make customers wonder if it’s an April Fool’s joke.
What is it about being a business owner that suits you compared to your previous job?
I loved being a draftsman – it was enjoyable drawing buildings and seeing them come to life. I had a good job that I could’ve done forever. Part of what I was drawn to with Zax Creamery was being able to do more customer service work, creating smiles, and spreading joy with sweet treats. It’s also really fulfilling to see employees grow in their personal skills and watching them grow professionally as they graduate college and start their career.
Any early influences that have played a part in this journey?
My uncle Glen started Graber Post. When I was younger, he would call me and give me odd and end jobs at his farm and he made them seem important. I always looked forward to days spent with him and learning from him. He started his business from scratch and he helped me see what was possible.
Zax Creamery is served at the French Lick Resort, how did that partnership come about?
They originally reached out to explore our dairy free options, we’ve now had a relationship with them for three years. It means so much to me that the Resort would choose to work with us. They wanted to work with someone local and our unique flavors and award winning quality were something they valued and put their trust in. It’s such a prestigious place to visit and people travel from all over the country to experience world-class golf and the beautiful hotels. To me, it’s one of the coolest places that we could have our ice cream served.
What advice would you give to other small business owners?
Don’t try to do it all on your own. Build a team of people you love – that also love your business and want to see it grow. That sums up who my team is. Embrace feedback from your team and customers. Always try to improve. Be content, but not complacent. My last piece of advice is to keep close sight of your vision and why you’re doing what you’re doing. If you’re no longer passionate about what you’re doing, maybe it’s time to do something different.
