Graeter's

Graeter's
Manufacturer and Restaurant
Industry Retail
Founded 1870 in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Founder Louis & Regina Graeter
Headquarters Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Number of locations
 31 company-owned stores & 7 franchise stores
Area served
 Retail stores serve Greater Cincinnati and northern Kentucky, Columbus, Ohio, Dayton, Ohio, Louisville, Kentucky, and New Albany, Indiana. Pints are sold in grocery stores nation-wide.
Key people
 Louis and Regina Graeter (Founder)
Chip Graeter, Bob Graeter, and Richard Graeter (Owners)
Products Ice Cream, Pastries, Candies, and much more.
Revenue Increase US$30,000,000
Website graeters.com

Graeter's is a regional chain of shops offering superpremium ice cream, baked goods, and candy which originated in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1870. Their thick ice cream has been featured on Food Network and has earned them many fans, including Oprah Winfrey,[1] Harry Connick Jr, and influential food writers such as David Rosengarten of Rosengarten Report.[2] It's been called "the best ice cream in the world,"[3] and "the best out there,"[4] and won "Best Sweet" at the 2014 Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival. [5]

History

Graeter's was founded in 1870[6] by Bavarian immigrants Regina and Louis "Charlie" Graeter. After Charlie's death, Regina took over the business, opening new locations and building a name for the business. Graeter's is still a family-owned and run business.[7]

"French pot" process

Graeter's ice cream is made using the French Pot method. This is a slow, small batch process making only two gallons at a time. It creates ice cream that is rich, creamy and dense. Graeter's also uses this method to create chocolate chips completely different from other brands.[7]

The French Pot process begins with the mix being placed into a chilled, spinning French Pot.[4]

Each batch of ice cream is only about two gallons (7.6 L) and is thus very labor-intensive. The resulting ice cream is so thick that it must be hand-packed into pints (473 mL). An article in The New York Times in 1997 explains that for reasons not understood, superior ice creams are made in batches of two gallons or less. The ice cream is sold in pint containers at Graeter's stores and at select grocery stores in Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Colorado, California, Utah, Illinois, Washington, Oregon, Michigan, Virginia and North Carolina. Because of the small batches and high amount of manual labor involved, Graeter's pints are more expensive than other brands of premium ice cream, such as Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs. Its sales are small compared to the larger corporate ice cream makers. In 2010, the NY Times listed the company's sales at $20 million.[4]

Graeter's locations

There are over 30 Graeter's locations ranging from southern and central Ohio to northern Kentucky. The major cities the stores are located in are: Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus, Ohio and Covington, Lexington, and Louisville, Kentucky.[8] Outside of their locations, Graeter's also has shipping options. It can be packaged in dry ice in a Styrofoam container and shipped anywhere in the continental U.S. The cost is $60 for 6 pints.[9]

List of Graeter's ice cream flavors

Year-Round Flavors

  • Black Cherry Chocolate Chip
  • Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip
  • Buckeye Blitz
  • Butter Pecan
  • The Original Salted Caramel
  • Chocolate
  • Chocolate Chip
  • Coconut Chocolate Chip
  • Coffee
  • Cookie Dough Chocolate Chip
  • Cookies And Cream
  • Cotton Candy
  • Double Chocolate Chip
  • Mint Chocolate Chip
  • Mocha Chocolate Chip
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
  • Strawberry
  • Toffee Chocolate Chip
  • Vanilla


Sorbets

Limited Edition Flavors (available in pints)


Gelato

  • Dark Chocolate Truffle
  • Carmel Truffle
  • Hazelnut Truffle
  • Vanilla with Milk Chocolate Truffles


Bonus flavors (only in scoop shops) may include:

References

  1. ↑ "Oprah's Best Scoop". Fox News. 2002-06-06. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
  2. ↑ Babej, Marc. "Graeter's Ice Cream Gets Big By Staying Small". Forbes. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Chic, Cheap Gifts for Party Hostesses". CBS News. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Driehaus, Bob (2010-09-11). "Now, a Cincinnati Ice Cream Maker Aims Big". The New York Times.
  5. ↑ "Graeter's Named 'Best Sweet' at Food Network Festival". Fox News. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Graeters: Our History". Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Orchant, Rebecca (2013-05-21). "Graeter's Ice Cream: A Cincinnati Institution We Love". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
  8. ↑ "Graeter's Ice Cream".
  9. ↑ February 11, 2009, 2:43 PM (2009-02-11). "Chic, Cheap Gifts For Party Hostesses". CBS News. Retrieved 2013-09-19.

External links

Coordinates: 39°11′19″N 84°28′45″W / 39.18861°N 84.47917°W