Cedar Crest Ice Cream makes an impressive amount of ice cream in its 45,408-square-foot facility in Manitowoc, Wis. The plant currently produces approximately 26 million pounds of product annually. The company uses the space wisely and continues to upgrade equipment and technology as product demand increases.

All of Ben & Jerry’s decisions are guided by its three-part mission statement: to make the best products, to be financially successful and to stand up for social causes. From start to finish, these principles also drive the operations and the floor workers at the company’s ice cream factory in St. Albans, Vt.

Frozen novelties is a $4.9 billion annual business. Sales were up 4% but unit sales rose only 2.2% in the 52 weeks ended Feb. 19, 2017, according to IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm.

Neal Gottlieb, the founder of Three Twins Ice Cream, needed more capacity to keep up with demand for his organic ice cream. His facility in Petaluma, Calif., was maxed out. Adding shifts was not feasible. Gottlieb bid the work to co-packers but said their quotes were “sky-high” and the quality of the test runs was a “disaster.”

When it comes to artisan ice cream making, flavors, transparency and authenticity are what matter, according to Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream. The company makes dairy-based and vegan ice creams for its scoop shops, food trucks and retail customers. The company claims it makes the “absolute best vegan ice cream,” and it has a customer following and a taste that backs up that claim, (this editor can attest).

Mayfield Dairy Farms manufactures milk for McDonald’s, ice cream for Baskin-Robbins and buttermilk for Cracker Barrel restaurants. The Tennessee-based dairy has expanded to Florida and Louisiana.

Over the last 100 years, Velvet Ice Cream, a self-styled ‘small batch’ producer, built a reputation for making premium products by using only the best flavorings, nuts, fruits, ribbons and inclusions.

 Kemps makes ice cream and other frozen desserts around the clock in its facility in Rochester, Minn. The frozen products category is a strategic pillar in Kemps’ plan to grow beyond its stronghold in the Upper Midwest. 

With sales from dairy operations more than doubling over the past 10 years, Indiana has become one of the fastest-growing dairy states, according to the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.