handcrafting irresistible ice cream since 1870.

HANDCRAFTING IRRESISTIBLE ICE CREAM SINCE 1870.
www.graeters.com
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HERITAGE
1870 - Louis C. Graeter started selling ice cream in Cincinnati street markets.
1900 - Louis marries Regina Berger and they move to 967 E McMillan where
they make ice cream in the back room, sell it in the front, and live upstairs.
THE ROARING 20’s - As other mom & pop ice cream stores close in
the face of competition from new mass-produced ice cream manufacturers,
Regina sticks with the old-world French Pot freezer process and begins opening
new ice cream parlors.
THE 80’s - Graeter’s opens its first franchised store in Kentucky
in 1984. Over the next 20 years, two dozen new franchised Graeter’s
stores would open in Lexington and Louisville, and in Columbus and
Dayton, Ohio.
1995 - 60 years after moving to Mt. Auburn, a new expansion
doubles the size of the Reading Road plant. Graeter’s begins
shipping ice cream packed in coolers with dry ice via express next
day delivery direct to consumers.
2004 - Having worked in the business for 15 years, the fourth
generation - Bob, Chip and Richard, formally take over management
and ownership of the company in 2004.
THE GREAT DEPRESSION - While many businesses close, Regina,
joined by the second generation - her sons and now partners Wilmer and Paul buys an old printing plant out of bankruptcy and moves ice cream production
to Mt Auburn in 1935, continuing to open new stores in neighborhoods
across Cincinnati.
WWII - The War brings sugar rationing, but Graeter’s is able to continue
growing, bringing much needed sweet relief to war weary families.
BABY BOOM ERA - Wilmer sneaks some chocolate from his mother
and pours it into a pot of frozen ice cream, inventing Graeter’s now signature
famous chocolate chunks. Regina dies on December 26th 1955, and three years later
Paul retires, and the third generation, Dick, Lou and Jon join Wilmer to continue
the Graeter legacy, joined a few years later by their younger sister Kathy.
HANDCRAFTING IRRESISTIBLE ICE CREAM SINCE 1870.
www.graeters.com
2010 - Building on their success, Graeter’s opens a new plant
and begins producing ice cream to distribute to new markets.
Bob, Chip and Richard stay true to Regina’s stubborn passion for
quality and continue to produce ice cream in two-gallon batches
using only the French Pot freezers.
TODAY - Graeter’s is the only commercial ice cream manufacturer
anywhere in the world to use French Pot freezers, and the two-gallon
batches are the smallest in the industry. The original plant in Mt Auburn
had only four French Pots. The new plant in Bond Hill has 32 French Pot
Freezers running day and night to keep up with demand.
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FRENCH POT PROCESS
There is no marketing advantage like a product advantage. Our
perfection of the traditional French Pot process is the true magic behind
the making of Graeter’s, the world’s finest ice cream. By creating just two
gallons at a time, Graeter’s achieves an irresistible creaminess that’s
completely unlike any other ice cream. We start by using only the finest
ingredients, such as: fresh cream and milk from Ohio farms that pledge
not to use any artificial growth hormones; 100% cane sugar; egg custard;
and gourmet chocolate for our signature chocolate chips. Our custard and
flavor bases are VAT-pasteurized to develop the best possible flavor profile.
The highest quality ingredients and flavorings are then added in order to
be frozen into 2-gallon batches of ice cream.
Small-batch freezing is what separates Graeter’s from other ice cream
manufacturers. We use 2-gallon French Pot freezers, a technology that’s
been around for over a century, but long since abandoned and forgotten
by the commercial ice cream industry. Our small batches are hand-swirled
by our dedicated artisans in 2-gallon French Pots. Each 2-gallon batch of
ice cream is slowly frozen, resulting in a rich, creamy texture.And lastly, to
get the ice cream into a pint we use one of the most sophisticated pieces
of equipment available - a big spoon.On an average day we hand-pack
nearly 20,000 pints!
HANDCRAFTING IRRESISTIBLE ICE CREAM SINCE 1870.
www.graeters.com
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INGREDIENTS
At Graeter’s we’re committed to bringing you the finest, creamiest,
most deliciously indulgent ice cream in the world. It’s why we use only the
highest quality ingredients in everything we make.
- Fresh cream from farms that pledge not to
use artificial growth hormones.
- 100% pure cane sugar.
- No hydrogenated oils, therefore no trans fats
- Gourmet chocolate from Peter’s Chocolate,
the inventor of milk chocolate.
- Belgium cocoa powder.
- Premium, hand-selected Oregon black
raspberries, black cherries, and strawberries.
- Pure Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans.
Graeter’s is famous for the massive chunks of gourmet chocolate
found in our signature chip flavors. We create these unique chips
by pouring our own specially prepared liquid chocolate into the
French Pot just as the ice cream is finishing. The result is nothing
short of spectacular, velvety smooth chunks of sweet chocolate in
every bite.
HANDCRAFTING IRRESISTIBLE ICE CREAM SINCE 1870.
www.graeters.com
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FANATICAL FOLLOWING
Few things bring people together, spread joy, promote happiness,
and encourage smiles and laughter like ice cream. Whether seen as a
treat, regarded as a reward or deemed a daily obsession by the seriousconnoisseur, Graeter’s holds a special place in the hearts of kids, grown-ups
and everyone in between. Some fans are so passionate they pay $13 a pint
to have Graeter’s shipped overnight to their door on dry ice! Whenever
Graeter’s becomes available in a new market, these “Fanbassadors” love to
spread the word in person and via social networks. Over 5,000 ice cream
socials have been hosted across the country by these devoted and most
loyal followers.
What others are saying about Graeter’s:
Huffington Post
“We got to taste Graeter’s signature Black Raspberry Chip flavor, and we
haveto admit, we fell in love with the creaminess, the deep purple berry
flavor and the randomly-sized, smooth as silk chocolate chunks throughout.” -May 2013
USA Today
Cincinnati’s legendary Graeter’s “chocolate chips” would more aptly be
called chocolate slabs, a perfect pairing with the maraschino cherries that
appear in every spoonful. -Februrary 2012
Martha Stewart Everday Food Magazine
“A scoop of black raspberry with melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chunks
hits the (sweet) spot on a hot summer day.” -June 2012
HANDCRAFTING IRRESISTIBLE ICE CREAM SINCE 1870.
www.graeters.com
Winner of the 2015 Munchies Award
for Best Ice Cream in the country.