Cold Stone Creamery facts for kids
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Cold Stone Creamery in Hudson, Ohio
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| Wholly owned subsidiary | |
| Industry | Ice cream parlor |
| Founded | 1969 in Tempe, Arizona |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Number of locations
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929 (US domestic, 2022) |
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Areas served
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Key people
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Éric Lefebvre (CEO - MTY) |
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| Parent | Kahala Brands (through MTY Food Group (2007–present) |
Cold Stone Creamery is a popular American ice cream shop chain. It is known for making fresh, creamy ice cream right in the store. You can choose your favorite ice cream flavor and then add different "mix-ins" like candies, nuts, or cookies. The ice cream is then blended on a cold granite slab, which is how the company got its name! Cold Stone Creamery is based in Scottsdale, Arizona, in the United States.
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History of Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery was started in 1969 by Donald and Susan Sutherland. They wanted to create a new kind of ice cream that was not too hard or too soft. Their very first store opened in Tempe, Arizona. The original store is still open today, though it moved to a nearby spot in the early 1990s.
The idea of mixing in treats on a cold surface was inspired by another ice cream shop. At Cold Stone, you first pick your ice cream flavor. Then, you choose from many different mix-ins like candies, nuts, brownies, or syrups. Employees then fold these into your ice cream on a frozen granite slab. This makes each order special and just for you!
Growing the Business
In 1995, Cold Stone Creamery opened its first franchise store. This means other people could open their own Cold Stone shops using the company's name and ideas. Soon after, the first store outside Arizona opened in Camarillo, California.
Cold Stone Creamery quickly became very popular. It is now one of the top-selling ice cream brands in the U.S. In 2008, Cold Stone opened its first store in Europe, in Copenhagen, Denmark. They also expanded to Canada in 2009 and to Singapore and Nigeria in 2012. More recently, in 2023, Cold Stone opened its first location in the United Kingdom.
Working with Other Companies
Cold Stone Creamery has also teamed up with other companies. In 2009, they worked with the Canadian coffee shop chain Tim Hortons. They opened many stores where you could buy both Cold Stone ice cream and Tim Hortons coffee. This helped both companies grow in new places.
They also partnered with Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to sell their chocolates in some Cold Stone stores. These partnerships help Cold Stone offer more choices to its customers.
Products You Can Enjoy
Cold Stone Creamery offers more than just ice cream. You can also find:
- Ice cream cakes
- Pies
- Cookie sandwiches
- Milkshakes
- Smoothies
- Iced or blended coffee drinks
They have different serving sizes for their ice cream. One of their biggest milkshakes, the Cold Stone PB&C, is known for being very rich and having a lot of calories. It's a huge treat!
In 2009, a video game called Cold Stone Creamery: Scoop It Up was released for the Wii console. In the game, you could pretend to work at a Cold Stone Creamery and make ice cream.
Special Partnerships
Cold Stone Creamery has worked with other brands to create unique flavors and products.
- In 2009, they partnered with Kraft Foods to make ice cream flavors based on popular Jell-O pudding flavors like Chocolate, Butterscotch, Banana, and Vanilla. These special ice creams are known for not melting easily!
- In 2008, Cold Stone also teamed up with Jelly Belly to create a line of jelly beans that tasted like some of Cold Stone's most popular ice cream flavors.
Keeping Customers Safe
Cold Stone Creamery cares about keeping its customers safe. Sometimes, food companies have to deal with safety concerns.
Food Safety
In 2015, there was a concern about "cake batter" ice cream products. Cold Stone Creamery quickly removed all "cake batter" ice cream from its stores in the U.S. to make sure everyone stayed safe. This was done after health officials looked into some reports of illness. A similar situation happened in 2005, and Cold Stone worked with health groups to solve the issue.
Where Cold Stone is Based
Cold Stone Creamery's main office, or headquarters, is in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company moved there in 1997 from its original home in Tempe. In 2005, they moved into their current building. This building has special rooms for training new employees, a kitchen for creating new ice cream flavors, and even a practice store.
Images for kids
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A neon sign for the Cold Stone Creamery at Irvine Spectrum in Irvine, California
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Cold Stone Creamery at Serendra Plaza in Taguig, Philippines
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Cold Stone Creamery in Springboro, Ohio
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Ice cream served at a Cold Stone Creamery
