Ben & Jerry's is the world's biggest maker of ice cream, sherbet, and frozen yogurt based on yearly sales. From its inception in 1978 until the British multinational Unilever bought it in 2000, the firm functioned independently.

Ben & Jerry's has manufacturing facilities in 3 states, Israel and the Netherlands. The brand is well-known for offering a diverse assortment of 54 distinct tastes, with cookie dough being the most popular of them all by far. A large part of their meteoric rise may be ascribed to the large number of flavors from which buyers could pick, which was unusual in the ice cream market at the time.

The company has also garnered a significant lot of both negative and positive attention for its varied political remarks about the United States over the years. Several of the firm's founders have claimed that social activism is one of the organization's key beliefs, and the corporation routinely participates in such initiatives.

Founded: 1978

Headquarters: South Burlington, Vermont

Market cap: $6 billion in 2021

Yearly Revenue: $860M

Website: https://www.benjerry.com/

Blue Bell began as a small butter producer in Brenham, Texas, until it was acquired in 1937. Beginning in the early 1920s, the firm ventured into the ice cream market, ultimately abandoning its butter-making activities to grow its ice cream operations over the whole of Canada and Southern United States.

According to its 2021 strategic plan, it will continue to operate predominantly in South America, with its northernmost distribution areas being Indianapolis and Denver. Even though Blue Bell is not the biggest ice cream manufacturer in the United States, it outsells its competition in every state in which it is active. In Texas, for example, the firm has a 52 percent market share of the state's industry.

Three manufacturing sites in the United States employ 2,800 people. The combined output of these facilities during operational hours is over 100 pints every minute. Sixty-six different kinds of ice cream are now available, with Homemade Vanilla being the most popular.

Founded: 1907

Headquarters: Brenham, Texas

Market cap: N/A
Yearly Revenue: $671M

Website: https://www.bluebell.com/

Since its founding in 1960, Haagen Dazs has operated as a stand-alone creamery until the Pillsbury Corporation bought it in 1983. General Mills subsequently purchased Pillsbury in 2001 and is presently the owner of the Haagen Dazs trademark, which is still in operation today.

Because of its rather Danish-sounding name, this firm may seem to be an unexpected addition to our list. On the other hand, the firm's name was created by the company's founders, Reuben and Rose Mattis, who wanted consumers to identify the firm with Denmark's well-regarded milk sector.

Haagen Dazs is probably the most well-known when it comes to luxury brands. In addition to classic varieties like chocolate and vanilla, it serves specialty ice cream flavors like Bananas Foster or Vanilla Swiss Almond that are hard to get elsewhere. In Tilloy-Les-Mofflaines of France, the firm makes most of its goods in a mill owned by General Mills.

Founded: 1960

Headquarters: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Market cap: $2.09B in 2021

Yearly Revenue: $660M

Website: https://haagendazs.com.my/

Breyers Ice Cream and Good Humor merged in 1993 to better serve its customers to establish Good Humor-Breyers Ice Cream Corporation. Breyers, Good Humor, Popsicle, Klondike, and Sealtest are just a few of the popular product lines offered by the firm, which is the biggest American manufacturer of these consumables. Good Humor-Breyers has also produced new varieties of sugar-free and fat-free ice cream in response to a growing number of health-conscious consumers. As a result, Viennetta, a treat made of layered ice cream and chocolate, remains a product of the company's efforts to stay on top of market trends.

The popularity of Breyers ice cream has grown steadily over time. It was virtually unimaginable in 1914 when the firm stated it was generating one million gallons yearly. From trolley freight to auto express, boat to railway express, Henry Breyer delivers the company's products across the whole of Philadelphia and surrounding regions. The Breyers Ice Cream Company business on Cumberland Street had outgrown its current location, but Henry Breyer continued to expand his current facilities rather than creating a new one. By 1918, the Cumberland Street facility had taken up a full city block of space.

Founded: 1993

Headquarters: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Market cap: N/A

Yearly Avenue: $526M
Website:

• https://www.goodhumor.com/us/en/home.html

• https://www.breyers.com/us/en

Known simply as Turkey Hill, Turkey Hill Dairy manufactures and distributes ice cream, tea, and other frozen treats worldwide. Kroger purchased the firm in 1985 after it was founded in 1931. Private equity company Peak Rock Capital purchased Kroger in 2019 and continues to control the brand.

Almost 30 million US gallons of frozen dairy products are produced annually by Turkey Hill Dairy in the United States. All-Natural Cream, Stuff'd Ice Cream, and Premium Ice Cream are just a few of the many varieties available. It also collaborates with other dessert companies, such as Tootsie Roll Companies or Gertrude Hawk Chocolates, to develop ice cream recipes with a specific theme. For example, Turkey Hill Dairy has partnered with the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Pittsburgh Steelers to promote their products.

When it comes to powering its operations, the corporation has been a pioneer in using green energy. They utilized wind farms owned by General Electric to produce power in 2011 as part of a joint venture between the company and PPL Renewable Energy. Wind farms supply a quarter of the company's yearly energy consumption.

Founded: 1931

Headquarters: Pennsylvania

Market cap: $215M in 2021

Yearly Avenue: $337M

Website: https://www.turkeyhill.com/

Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream is a wholly-owned affiliate of Froneri, a joint venture founded by Nestle and PAI Partners to produce ice cream for the premium market. In Texas and the Western United States, the firm distributes ice cream under the "Dreyer's" brand, while it sells ice cream under Edy's label in the Midwest.

Dreyer's will have 3000 employees in its seven manufacturing plants located throughout the United States by 2022. Each year, these factories manufacture 3 million gallons of ice cream. The company's facilities in Bakersfield, California, and Laurel, Maryland, are among the world's biggest of their sort.

One of Dreyer's goods' most distinctive selling aspects is the slow-churn procedure utilized to manufacture their products. The business says that using this technique can obtain the same texture and flavor as traditional ice cream but use a lower fat and sugar level. Dreyer's ice cream is presently available in 78 different flavors, with the most popular being Mint Chocolate Chip and Classic Vanilla.

Founded: 1928

Headquarters: Oakland, California

Market cap: $1.03B in 2021

Yearly Avenue: $229M

Website: https://www.icecream.com/us/en/brands/dreyers

Wells Enterprises have developed a legacy by spreading the delight of ice cream to as many people as possible. This ambition led to the company being the biggest family-owned, privately held frozen dessert and ice cream business in The Us. For ice cream lovers, this means they are always adjusting to a changing industry—and times—while remaining faithful to their parents' vision, who founded the company back in 1913.

According to industry analysts, they are considered to be one of the most technology-driven companies in the market. The Safe Food Institute has awarded its ice cream production facilities a level-3 qualification, the highest level of certification available. Wells Enterprise believes that it is not just what they are doing, but also how they are doing it, that distinguishes them from their competitors.

All of Wells Enterprises' ice cream products are labeled with the phrase "Real Ice Cream." Numerous competitors' goods fell outside of this definition after the Food and Drug Administration changed the labeling standards to simply "Ice Cream" in 2009. As part of its worldwide ice cream production operations, Wells Enterprises has the world's biggest single ice cream manufacturing plant, which has led to the title of the place as "The World's Ice Cream Capital."

Founded: 1913

Headquarters: Le Mas, Iowa

Market cap: N/A

Yearly Avenue: $202M

Website: https://wellsenterprisesinc.com/

A sorbet and gelato manufacturer based in the United States, Talenti is among the largest in the world. The firm was created in 2003 and ran independently until 2014 when it was bought by Unilever, which is now the company's current majority owner.

Even though they have a few independent shops in different states, most of their goods are offered in pre-packaged quart, pint, and half-gallon canisters at huge retail stores like Walmart. Currently, the firm produces 30 different kinds of gelato and sorbet.

Additionally, Talenti has lately concentrated on growing its reputation as an ecologically friendly brand, in addition to selling itself as a luxury brand. All Talenti packaging is 100 percent recyclable, and the company's marketing materials often inform consumers of this fact. The firm manufactures more than 350,000 pints of gelato every day across multiple Unilever-owned manufacturing sites.

Founded: 2003

Headquarters: Dallas, Texas

Market cap: $350M in 2020

Yearly Avenue: $197M

Website: https://www.talentigelato.com

It is known by the brand name Tillamook Creamery Association, although it operates as a dairy cooperative in Oregon. Tillamook is responsible for the manufacturing, distributing, and selling of numerous dairy products throughout the United States. They are most known for their Tillamook Cheddar. However, they also make ice cream, butter, and yogurt, among other things.

Tillamook promotes its ice cream as a high-end product with a premium price tag. Much of their marketing material focuses on the super-duper textures and artisan ingredients found in their goods.

The cooperative employs more than 900 people and manages approximately 100 dairy farms, most of which are located in the Oregon county of Tillamook. Tillamook Creamery, the cooperative's section for ice cream, manufactures all of its ice creams in two buildings situated in Boardman and Tillamook, Oregon.

Founded: 1909

Headquarters: Tillamook

Market cap: ~$200M in 2020

Yearly Avenue: $195M

Website: https://www.tillamook.com/

The ice cream industry in the United States is driven by smaller private labels that distribute their ice cream locally. Sales of private label products reached 392 million units in 2020 alone, more than twice the quantity sold by the top-selling solo company, Ben & Jerry's.

Even though private labels are not a real firm, we placed them at the end of the list since they highlight an important facet of the ice cream market. The findings of research and industry professionals have all shown that customers place a high value on ice cream firms that they consider to be homegrown and local. As you will see soon, the majority of the top solo ice cream manufacturers will strive to emulate the same friendly image in their advertising and branding campaigns.

Some popular private labels:

• Byrne Dairy

Founded: 1933

Headquarters: Syracuse

Market cap: N/A

Yearly Revenue: $112M

Website: https://www.byrnedairy.com/

• Halo Top
  

Founded: 2012

Headquarters: LA

Market Cap: $~200M

Yearly Revenue: $150M

Website: https://halotop.com/