Mr. Whippy (United Kingdom) facts for kids
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| Company and franchise | |
| Industry | Food Retail Direct service |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Founder | Dominic Facchino |
| Headquarters | |
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Key people
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Peter Woodhams |
| Owner | Unilever |
| Parent | Wall's (ice cream) |
Mr. Whippy is a well-known brand of soft ice cream. It is made by Wall's, which is part of a bigger company called Unilever. You might know Mr. Whippy from the special ice cream vans that drive around.
Originally, Mr. Whippy was a company that sold licenses (franchises) to people who wanted to sell their ice cream. Today, "Mr. Whippy" is mostly the name of the ice cream mix itself. This means many ice cream sellers use the "Mr. Whippy" name on their vans. They can decorate their vans however they like. However, there are still official Mr. Whippy franchises operating in Australia and New Zealand.
In the United Kingdom, the name "Mr. Whippy" has become so popular that people often use it to mean any soft-serve ice cream in a cone.
Contents
How Mr. Whippy Started
The Mr. Whippy company began in 1958. A British businessman named Dominic Facchino visited the United States. There, he saw a successful ice cream business called Mister Softee. They sold soft-serve ice cream from special vans.
Dominic Facchino wanted to bring this idea to the UK. He couldn't get the rights to use the Mister Softee name. So, he decided to create his own brand: Mr. Whippy. He started his business in Birmingham, England, with six ice cream vans.
In 1966, a large company called Unilever bought the Mr. Whippy business.
Mr. Whippy Around the World
Mr. Whippy quickly became popular. The company decided to expand to other countries.
In 1962, ten Mr. Whippy vans were sent from England to Australia. They traveled by ship to Sydney. The business was a big hit! Because of this success, another 24 vans were sent to Australia the next year.
After Australia, Dominic Facchino decided to expand to New Zealand. He sent 24 vans there too. Over time, about 200 vans were sent from the UK to Australia. About 50 vans went to New Zealand. Mr. Whippy also had a short time operating on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
Mr. Whippy in Australia
The Mr. Whippy franchise in Australia continued until the mid-1970s. After that, the vans were sold to different private owners. In 1982, the "Mr. Whippy" name was officially registered in Australia by a company called Mr. Whippy Pty Ltd. Today, the Franchised Food Company owns the brand in Australia.
Mr. Whippy in New Zealand
In the early 1980s, a company called General Foods Limited (later Tip Top) took over the main rights for Mr. Whippy in New Zealand. The vans changed to a new orange and white color scheme.
In the early 2000s, Tip Top sold the main franchise to Peter Woodhams. He was a Mr. Whippy seller in the Waikato region. In 2006, he sold it to Flying Kiwi Holdings. The Mr. Whippy vans became more modern. They started using different models like Ford Transit and Fiat Ducato.
As of 2020, there are about 36 Mr. Whippy sellers in New Zealand. They operate 58 vans.
