It's difficult to say exactly how many companies produce ice cream worldwide. Every year, they emerge, grow, and split or merge. There are also many family-run shops where culinary traditions are passed down through generations and remain a family secret. In total, there are approximately three hundred companies producing ice cream worldwide. Some companies, previously unrelated to frozen desserts, recently discovered this specialty to be profitable and attractive and opened an entire ice cream division. This was the case with Nestlé and Cadbury.
There are a few names in the ice cream world that are simply impossible not to know. Among them is Baskin & Robbins, a global chain of ice cream parlors founded by Bart Baskin and Irving Robbins in 1945 in Glendale, California. It is considered the world's largest ice cream parlor chain, with over 5,600 locations worldwide, 2,800 of which are in the United States. Baskin & Robbins sells its ice cream in more than thirty countries, including Malaysia, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, India, Iran, Russia, and Ukraine.
Baskin & Robbins are famous for their advertising slogan "31 flavors of ice cream." When the Baskin-Robbins store first opened, it offered 21 flavors of ice cream, a cutting-edge technology at the time that left competitors far behind. The 31 flavors of ice cream became a household name in 1953, surpassing the 28 flavors served at Howard Johnson's restaurants. Bart and Irwin believed that customers had the right to try all the flavors before settling on one. American comedian Stevie Allen inspired Baskin & Robbins to create one of their ice cream flavors.
Another global name in the ice cream production and sales industry is Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. They have been producing ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet since 1978. The company was founded by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, friends from high school on Long Island, New York. The company became famous for its unusual flavor combinations and their names. For example, the ice cream "Cherry Garcia" was named after the legendary rock musician. Their production is distinguished by its environmental friendliness and adherence to social norms. The company, with a charter capital of $12,000, which was initially located in a rented garage, was bought by the Anglo-Danish company Unilever for $326,000,000 in 2000. Under the agreement, the company will operate separately from other ice cream companies acquired by Unilever. Today, Ben & Jerry's products are available in the United States, Great Britain, Canada, France, Lebanon, Israel, and Japan.
Swensen's is a Canadian chain of ice cream parlors. The first restaurant was founded in 1948 by Earl Swensen. The original ice cream was marketed under the slogan "as good as if your own dad made it." In addition to ice cream and other chilled desserts (like banana smoothies), Swensen's also offers snacks like sandwiches and hamburgers.
Since its founding, Swensen's has created over 180 varieties of ice cream. The chain operates over 300 cafes in Asia, the Middle East, the United States, and Latin America.
The Haagen-Dazs brand was born in the Bronx in 1961, thanks to the inspiration of Reuben and Rose Mattus. From that single store, it grew into a chain with a particular influence in the eastern United States. The ice cream comes in a wide variety and is considered a luxury product. This high standard means it has a relatively high density and fat content, with very little air or special emulsions. Most of the company's ice creams are made with chocolate or chocolate-based flavors, although vanilla varieties are also available. Four times a year, or seasonally, the company introduces a significant flavor. In the 1980s, the company suffered from stiff competition from Frusen Gladje, an American company with a Scandinavian name. In 1983, Haagen-Dazs acquired the Pillsbury Company, which operates in the US and Canada under a Nestlé license. Rose Mattus died in 2006 at the age of 90.
Another global name is the Finnish company Valio. It produces ice cream, butter, yogurt, and milk. It is Finland's largest food company, producing over 80% of all milk in Finland. The company's name, literally translated into Russian, means "the best."
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