Dreyer's facts for kids
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Dreyer's headquarters in Oakland
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Dairy |
| Founded | 1928 |
| Founder |
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| Headquarters | Oakland, California, United States |
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Key people
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Kim Peddle-Rguem, CEO |
| Products | Ice cream |
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Number of employees
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2,400+ (2020) |
| Parent | Froneri |
Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, Inc. is an American ice cream company. It was started in 1928 in Oakland, California. Its main office is still in Oakland today. The company's two well-known brands are Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream and Edy's Grand Ice Cream. These names honor the founders, William Dreyer and Joseph Edy.
The Dreyer's brand is sold in the Western United States and Texas. The Edy's brand is sold in the Eastern and Midwestern United States. In 2002, a company called Nestlé bought Dreyer's. Later, in 2020, Froneri took over all of Nestlé's ice cream businesses in the U.S. This included Dreyer's, Häagen-Dazs, and Drumstick.
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The Story of Dreyer's Ice Cream
The names Edy's and Dreyer's come from the company's founders. Joseph Edy was a candy maker. William Dreyer was an ice cream maker. Joseph Edy had popular candy shops in Oakland, California. William Dreyer made ice cream in another part of California. They met in Oakland.
In 1928, Edy and Dreyer decided to work together. They opened a small factory to make ice cream. They named their company Edy's Grand Ice Cream. They were very creative with their new company.
How Rocky Road Ice Cream Was Invented
Joseph Edy and William Dreyer created the first Rocky Road ice cream. Joseph Edy used his candy-making skills for this. They mixed chocolate, marshmallows, and nuts. They called it Rocky Road because of its bumpy texture. The name also described the difficult economic times of the Great Depression.
Before Rocky Road, most ice cream only came in a few flavors. These were usually vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. Rocky Road was one of the first ice creams to combine many flavors. At that time, only large marshmallows were made. So, Joseph Edy used his wife's sewing scissors to cut them into small pieces. This made them fit into the ice cream. Edy and Dreyer also created Toasted Almond and Candy Mint flavors.
Changes Over the Years
In 1947, Edy and Dreyer ended their business partnership. In 1953, William Dreyer Jr. took over the company. He changed the name to Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream. Later, in 1963, Dreyer Jr. sold the company to his main officers. Ken Cook became the president. He wanted to offer high-quality ice cream to families.
In 1977, T. Gary Rogers and W.F. "Rick" Cronk bought the company. In 1981, the company grew bigger. They started using the name Edy's Grand Ice Cream again for products sold east of the Rocky Mountains. This was to avoid confusion with another company called Breyers. So, they use the Dreyer's name in the Western U.S. and Texas. They use the Edy's name in the Eastern and Midwestern U.S.
In 2002, Nestlé bought Dreyer's. In 2019, Nestlé announced that it would sell its U.S. ice cream businesses. This included Dreyer's, Häagen-Dazs, and Drumstick. Froneri bought these businesses in 2020. Froneri is a global ice cream company that Nestlé co-owns.
Important Dates in Dreyer's History
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- 1906: William Dreyer made his first frozen dessert. He did this to celebrate arriving in America from Germany.
- 1928: William Dreyer and Joseph Edy started Edy's Grand Ice Cream.
- 1947: Dreyer and Edy ended their business partnership. Dreyer bought a new factory in Oakland.
- 1953: William Dreyer Jr. took over the company. He changed the name to Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream.
- 1963: Ken Cook became the company's president.
- 1977: T. Gary Rogers and W.F. Cronk bought Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream.
- 1981: Dreyer's became a public company. Its shares were traded on NASDAQ. The company also started using the Edy's Grand Ice Cream name again for sales east of the Rocky Mountains.
- 2004: Dreyer's began using a new way to make ice cream. It was called low-temperature extrusion. This method makes ice cream smoother. It also allows for "slow churned" ice cream. This type has less fat and fewer calories.
- 2006: Dreyer's expanded its ice cream plant in Laurel, Maryland. This made it one of the largest ice cream plants in the U.S.
- 2007: Nestlé bought Dreyer's for $3.2 billion. This made Nestlé the biggest ice cream maker.
- 2016: Nestlé and PAI Partners created a joint company called Froneri. This company combined their ice cream businesses in Europe and other countries.
- 2020: Nestlé sold all its U.S. ice cream businesses to Froneri. This included Dreyer's, Häagen-Dazs, and Drumstick.
Ice Cream Container Sizes
Over the years, the size of Dreyer's ice cream containers has changed. In 2002, the standard half gallon (1.89 L) container was made smaller. It became 1.75 quarts (1.65 L). Then, in 2008, the 1.75 quart container was made even smaller. It became 1.5 quarts (1.42 L). Many other ice cream companies also made their containers smaller.
