A quote on the wall of a busy downtown Doniphan business reads, “In the company of good friends, even the simplest gathering becomes extraordinary.”
Within these walls, bright, cheery colors, the smells of warm chocolate and caramel, and the sounds of laughter welcome both the young and young at heart who walk through the doors.
What once began as a small town boutique has evolved into a community hub of homemade goodness and extraordinary memories with the opening of Joe Sweet Creamery in the fall of 2025.
Owner Jessi (Shafer) Richter ‘97 graduated from Hastings College with a degree in elementary education and special education and taught for 15 years in Grand Island. She loved teaching and the students she impacted, but admitted she is not a schedule-oriented person and thrives on creative energy.
After having their last child, Richter was a stay at home mom and picked up photography on the side. She also dipped her toes into buying and selling antiques and thrived on being a DIY’er.
Richter then decided to open a boutique in downtown Doniphan, which she operated for two years before turning the store into a venue for people to host parties.
From there, the family brainstormed starting an ice cream business during a gathering at Calamus Lake.
“My cousin (Tatum Hansen) and her husband Jeremy (a 2013 Hastings College graduate) always brought ice cream to family functions. The name Joe Sweet came from a combination of family names — Jeremy and (J)essi, (O)livia and (E)mma. Everyone who works here is family.” Richter’s daughter, Charlee, also helps with the business and will be an freshman at Hastings College this fall.
The business is owned by Richter, the Hansens and Richter’s sister, Jill. The crew gathers to decide on new flavors and throw out ideas for names, then create smaller batches to taste test and decide how to make it better. Once they have a plan of action, they churn their energy into making bigger batches to sell.
“We hosted our first ice cream social in October 2025 and made 27 gallons of ice cream. It went over really well, and we sold out,” Richter said. “People were excited, and the atmosphere was fun.”
At their next ice cream social in November 2025, they increased production to 60 gallons of ice cream, also selling out.
“We ended up getting a big machine that would make five gallons at a time. The last three socials, we’ve gone from 27 gallons to 150 gallons of ice cream. It’s all homemade, completely started from scratch.”
In addition to monthly ice cream socials, the business hosted a St. Patrick’s Day party and events in conjunction with National Ice Cream Day and Donuts for Breakfast.
Among the hot sellers so far have been “Sunday Morning,” a cinnamon-flavored ice cream, along with seasonal flavors. “Sweet Micki,” a chocolate-flavored ice cream, has become a permanent menu item to honor Richter’s late grandmother. Richter said pints to go are a popular purchase, and the business has also started selling Joe Sweet t-shirts.
“We’ve talked about getting an ice cream truck to take around to different towns, and people have asked us about making pints available for retail store sales,” Richter said. “We definitely would like to do more; in the meantime, we will continue with monthly socials until our schedules allow.”
Even with the simple joys of gathering with friends to catch up on the latest scoop over ice cream, the vision of Joe Sweet has taken flight.
“We thrive on ice cream and having a gathering spot that is happy, fun and carefree; we love having people fill the building,” Richter said. “It wasn’t a business I envisioned being in, but it has really taken off. I love creativity and being hands-on; this has given me an opportunity to do all of those things that are enjoyable.”
When asked about a possible flavor to honor her college alma mater, Richter eagerly shared that a new creation will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
For more on Joe Sweet Creamery, visit them on Facebook or Instagram.