Graeter's facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Retail and restaurant |
| Founded | 1870 in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Founders | Louis and Regina Graeter |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Number of locations
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56 stores (2024) |
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Area served
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Midwestern United States |
| Products | Ice cream, pastries, and candy |
| Owners |
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Graeter's is a famous ice cream company. It started in Cincinnati, Ohio way back in 1870. A man named Louis C. Graeter began this sweet business. Today, Graeter's has 56 stores. These stores sell delicious ice cream, candy, and baked goods. You can find them across the Midwestern United States. Graeter's ice cream is also sold in about 6,000 other stores nationwide.
The company is known for its special "French pot" method. This way of making ice cream creates a very thick and creamy treat. Many people love it! Even famous people like Oprah Winfrey have said it's the best ice cream they've ever tasted. This helped Graeter's become well-known across the country. The company has been run by the Graeter family for four generations.
Contents
The Story of Graeter's Ice Cream
How Graeter's Began
Graeter's was started in 1870 by Louis Charles Graeter and his wife, Anna. Louis was from a German family. At first, he sold his ice cream at a market in Cincinnati. Ice cream was a new and exciting treat back then. His business quickly became popular in the neighborhood. Soon, they opened a store on Sycamore Street. By 1883, the business had three workers and two wagons for delivering ice cream.
Around 1900, the company started using the "French pot" method to make its ice cream. Louis Graeter later married Regina Berger. Together, they made and sold ice cream from the first floor of their home. This was in the Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati.
Growing the Business
Louis Charles Graeter passed away in 1919. His wife, Regina, took over the business. She worked hard to expand it. She made the McMillan Street location bigger. She also opened new stores in downtown Cincinnati and the Hyde Park neighborhood. By 1929, Graeter's had several locations. These included stores in Norwood, Madisonville, and Avondale.
To make more ice cream, the company opened a new production plant in 1937. This plant was in Mount Auburn. Even during the Great Depression, the business did well. However, World War II brought challenges. There was less sugar and fewer workers available. After the war, the company grew again. It opened new stores in areas where more people were moving.
Challenges and New Ideas
After World War II, many companies started mass-producing ice cream. Graeter's faced competition from these new businesses. Some rivals included Aglamesis Bro's and United Dairy Farmers. Even with new types of ice cream like soft serve from chains like Dairy Queen, Graeter's kept its unique style.
During this time, Graeter's also started a bakery. They offered more baked goods as an extra service. They stopped selling toys and other fun items to focus on their main products.
The Next Generations
Regina Graeter passed away in 1955. Her son, Wilmer, took over the business. Wilmer's sons, Dick, Lou, and Jon, also joined the company. His younger sister, Kathy, became very involved later on. In the 1960s, Graeter's ice cream became even more popular locally. They started selling pints of ice cream that people could take home.
They faced competition from other fancy ice cream brands like Baskin-Robbins and Ben & Jerry's. But Graeter's stayed strong in Cincinnati. In the 1970s, Graeter's began selling its ice cream in other stores. A big step was a deal with Kroger in 1987. This allowed Graeter's ice cream to be sold in many supermarkets. Now, you can buy Graeter's in grocery stores in 48 states!
In the 1980s, frozen yogurt became popular. This was a challenge for Graeter's. But the company kept investing in its special "French Pot" production method.
Modern Growth
By 1989, Graeter's was making 100,000 gallons of ice cream each year. The fourth generation of the Graeter family, including Bob, Chip, and Rich, joined the business. In 1994, Graeter's expanded its production building. This allowed them to make more ice cream, candy, and have more storage space.
After 1994, Graeter's started shipping pints of ice cream across the United States. They used dry ice to keep the ice cream frozen during shipping. By 2010, this shipping business was very successful.
In 2003, the fourth generation fully took over. They updated the company's logo and marketing. They also greatly increased how much ice cream they could make. This helped their wholesale business grow. Even during tough economic times, Graeter's continued to do well.
In 2009, Graeter's built a new, larger plant in Cincinnati. This plant helped them make even more ice cream. It also allowed them to ship their ice cream to supermarkets in new cities like Denver and Houston. By 2010, Graeter's was a $35 million business. They also started using social media like Facebook and Instagram to connect with their fans.
By 2017, Graeter's ice cream was in about 6,000 grocery stores. They also started working with other local food companies. For example, they partnered with Braxton Brewing Co. to make a special craft beer based on their Black Raspberry Chip ice cream flavor. In 2018, Graeter's brought all its retail stores under company management. They also moved their main office to one central location.
Delicious Graeter's Products
The "French Pot Process"
Louis Graeter first made ice cream by hand. It was a lot of work! Over time, the company developed its special "French pot process." This method uses a unique metal bowl inside a wooden one. The bowl spins, and the ice cream mixture freezes against the sides. Paddles then scrape off the frozen cream.
This process makes ice cream in small batches, about 2.5 gallons at a time. Each batch is then packed into cartons by hand. This method creates a very dense ice cream. It has less air mixed in compared to other ice creams. A pint of Graeter's ice cream weighs about 1 pound, which is almost twice as much as some other brands! This rich, high-quality ice cream is considered "superpremium."
Graeter's ice cream starts with a creamy egg custard base. After being pasteurized, the flavors are added. The mixture goes into the French pots. The pots spin in very cold saltwater. A blade scrapes the cream as it freezes. After 15-20 minutes, bigger pieces like cookie dough or chocolate chips are added. Then, the ice cream is hand-scooped into pint containers. Graeter's makes about 3,200 gallons of ice cream every day. They are proud that their ice cream is still made by hand.
Amazing Ice Cream Flavors
When Graeter's first started, they only had vanilla and chocolate. Later, they added seasonal flavors like strawberry, lemon, and peach. Now, these are available all year. Graeter's has eight original flavors, including black cherry and coffee.
Graeter's gets its dairy products from local farms. They use a classic recipe of cream, sugar, eggs, and flavorings. They haven't changed it much, even with new health trends. They now use more natural ingredients, like beet juice for color. Their vanilla comes from Madagascar. In Cincinnati, Graeter's ice cream sells more than other big brands like Ben & Jerry's!
Instead of regular chocolate chips, Graeter's adds melted chocolate mixed with a little vegetable oil. This creates unique chocolate chunks of different sizes. This idea came from a young Wilmer Graeter who poured chocolate into a pot of ice cream! These chocolate chunks are now in many popular flavors. By 2010, chocolate chip flavors made up 70 percent of their sales.
Graeter's also added sundaes, milkshakes, and sodas. Later, they introduced gelato, sorbet, and low-sugar desserts. Dick Graeter created the famous Black Raspberry flavor. He added chocolate chips to it, and it became a huge hit! This flavor is now the best-seller, making up 20 percent of all sales. Graeter's also offers special "seasonal" flavors for a few months at a time. Favorites include strawberry chocolate chip in spring and peppermint around winter.
Sweet Candy and Baked Goods
Louis Graeter also sold chocolates from the very beginning. One popular candy was the opera cream, a cream-filled chocolate. Today, Graeter's makes its chocolates at the Bond Hill plant. For holidays like Easter, they offer special treats. These include chocolate bunnies, cream eggs, and jelly beans.
In 1957, Graeter's started a bakery. They made pies and cakes at first. Later, they added rolls, coffee cake, donuts, bread, cupcakes, and cookies. Ice cream cakes and ice cream sandwiches also became popular. While the bakery has faced challenges, the Graeter family has always kept it going.
Graeter's Ice Cream Shops
Graeter's started with one location on McMillan Street. After Regina Graeter took over in 1919, she began to expand. By 1929, there were six locations. The original McMillan Street store stayed open until 1972.
In the 1980s, Graeter's began allowing other people to open stores as franchisees. The first one opened in Northern Kentucky in 1984. Another franchisee opened a store in Columbus in 1989. This franchisee eventually managed 15 stores in Ohio. By 2010, Graeter's had 45 locations. In 2010, the company bought back the Columbus and Dayton franchises. This gave them direct control of all Ohio stores. The Graeter family wants to keep the business family-owned.
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In 2018, a new Graeter's location opened in Cincinnati Union Terminal. This was in the beautiful old Rookwood tea room.
About 60 percent of Graeter's business comes from its own stores. Grocery store sales make up 20 percent, and shipping orders make up another 20 percent. The company also uses social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to connect with its fans. They have a social media manager to help with this. Graeter's doesn't do a lot of traditional advertising. Instead, they focus on engaging with their customers online and through loyalty programs.
