Ice Cream Venture Nets Family Fun, Philanthropic Opportunities For Arnold Couple

Every zany idea Dustin Ellington has pitched to his wife, Lindsay, has been swiftly met with, “No, we’re not doing that.” That is, until one involved ice cream.

The Ellingtons are not from New Zealand. In fact, it’s still on their list to visit. But one sampling of New Zealand style ice cream was all it took for an idea to take flight.

Dustin said they had never had anything like it; it was fresh and made with wholesome ingredients.

The Broadneck High School grad is a former pilot and works for Collins Aerospace, and Lindsay, who attended Severna Park elementary, middle and high schools, works at Arnold Christian Academy (ACA) and is a nurse at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center. Love at first bite launched them on a journey to learn all they could about New Zealand style ice cream, not to change careers, but to create something fun for their son and daughter that they can do together as a family and perhaps eventually hand off to the kids.

Soon, Flying Kiwi Ice Cream was hatched. Around this time last year, the Ellingtons acquired a cargo trailer, and with help from his father, Dustin built out an ice cream truck in their driveway. Lindsay developed the trailer’s aesthetics, working with a local company to wrap it with vibrant graphics.

The Ellingtons sourced their ice cream equipment directly from New Zealand, and set to work creating fresh flavors including strawberry, banana, blueberry, mango, passion fruit, peach, cherry, pineapple and others. Banana is Lindsay’s favorite, while Dustin said passion fruit is his top pick.

The recipe is simple: They start with a premium vanilla ice cream and auger in fresh frozen fruit, resulting in a soft-serve ice cream. They steer clear of “junk” ingredients, offering toppings that are free from artificial flavors and dyes.

Dustin shared that the name Flying Kiwi Ice Cream is a play on words.

“Kiwi birds are native to New Zealand, and they don’t fly, but Dustin does,” Lindsay said. Dustin actively flies a small plane he co-owns for the nonprofit Pilots for Christ. Thus, their logo is a kiwi bird in aviation goggles, perched in a small red plane.

The Ellingtons are grateful for the guidance they received from their friends who own Black Market Bakers and Chevys Fresh Mex. But their early days as ice cream truck operators were not without a bit of turbulence.

Their first event was in April 2025, a school fundraiser at ACA where they quickly learned that making ice cream to order takes a lot longer than say, a snowball. They’ve since developed an efficient process.

After that event came the three-star review that served as a catalyst for Lindsay to take things to the next level. A patron had said their product wasn’t really New Zealand ice cream because it lacked “Hokey Pokey.”

Lindsay had tried to source the iconic ingredient – which she explained is caramelized sugar that, once it reaches a certain temperature and has baking soda mixed in, becomes fluffy and looks like a honeycomb when you cut it. She couldn’t find a local vendor that made Hokey Pokey, but the online review reignited her search, and they now get it fresh from California.

“It’s probably the number one topping request. So, we’ll do it as a topping or a mix-in,” Dustin said of Hokey Pokey, adding, “(It) gives a little crunch to the ice cream.”

The Ellingtons publish the Flying Kiwi Ice Cream truck’s schedule on their social media pages. They’ve brought the truck to various communities, pools, parties, corporate settings – even nurses’ week at Luminis – and have used it to give back to various churches and nonprofits as well.

Lindsay shared that for church events, they donate 15% to 20% to the church. The same is true for events they’ve done for Pinked Perspective, a local nonprofit supporting those with breast cancer; a Pilots for Christ event; concert nights at Goshen Farm, and more. This season, they’ve already scheduled an Arnold vacation bible school and will donate back to the host church there, too.

Though their schedules are busy with work, kids’ sports, ice cream events and more, family is at the root of Flying Kiwi Ice Cream for Dustin and Lindsay.

“The ice cream is (something) we can do together as a family,” Lindsay said, “And that’s been really cool.” Their 10-year-old daughter, Laura, has become less shy as she interacts with customers, and enjoys helping with the toppings. Seven-year-old Asher has tried pitching in by stamping frequent-flier cards. Lindsay’s mom often helps in the truck, as well, and both Lindsay and Dustin’s parents – three of whom are also SPHS grads – help watch the kids too.

Lindsay noted that being a family-run business sets them apart because they are so passionate about both their product and the connections they make along the way.

“We’re very personable with people when they come to the truck. We want them to have a good experience,” Dustin added. “It’s about the ice cream, but it’s also about the people, because it makes a difference.”

To learn more about Flying Kiwi Ice Cream, go to www.flyingkiwiicecream.com.