Taharka

What Taharka does

Taharka Brothers Ice Cream is a Baltimore-headquartered, employee-owned craft ice cream producer founded in 1993, operating under a stated social mission of employing and developing young adults from some of Baltimore's most troubled neighborhoods. The company manufactures approximately 60 small-batch flavors, including award-winning signature SKUs such as Honey Graham, Mintflix and Chillz, Key Lime Pie, and Caramel Crunch, alongside rotating seasonal and local-collaboration flavors, and offers dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, and kosher options. From a technical standpoint Taharka runs on a Shopify-based e-commerce storefront at taharkabrothers.com, with operational systems supporting a Self-Serve Corporate Gifting portal and curated gift collections; no proprietary technology or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed in the source materials.

Taharka generates revenue across seven distinct streams: direct retail through three company-owned scoop shops (R. House at 301 W 29th St, Cross Street Market at 1065 S Charles St, and Lexington Market at 112 N Eutaw St, all in Baltimore MD); direct-to-consumer e-commerce home delivery (minimum 6 pints per order, shipping to 48 states and DC); wholesale distribution to restaurants, hotels, universities, and retail shops across the mid-Atlantic (Virginia, Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Columbia MD); a Corporate Gifting program with both self-serve and assisted B2B ordering; an event-catering business using two ice cream trucks plus new tabletop setups and sundae bars; third-party delivery through Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub; and a fundraising program that has raised tens of thousands of dollars for local schools, sports teams, and charities. Pricing is positioned at premium craft levels with pints at $12.50, bulk volumes at 7 pints for $80 or 8 pints for $85, and curated gift collections at $75.

The customer base spans Baltimore-area individual consumers, B2B wholesale accounts, corporate gifting clients, fundraising organizations, and event hosts (weddings, corporate functions, private parties), with marketing conducted primarily through the company's e-commerce site, Facebook, Instagram, and an email newsletter. The company has no disclosed institutional venture funding; its only recorded capital event in the source materials is an $88,561 award from the Maryland Department of Commerce dated 2025-02-19. Leadership is anchored by CEO Steve Butz, and current employment is in the 11-50 band.

Name

Taharka

Legal name

Taharka Brothers Ice Cream

Website

https://taharkabrothers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Taharka Brothers Ice Cream is an employee-owned Baltimore craft ice cream producer founded in 1993, selling approximately 60 small-batch flavors through three scoop shops, nationwide shipping, wholesale, corporate gifting, and event catering, with a stated mission of employing young adults from distressed Baltimore neighborhoods.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small-Batch Ice Cream Manufacturing

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520), Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers (42442)

SIC

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Cream & Refrigerated Desserts (CRADACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ice Cream & Gelato Shops (THAFAGAA), Ice Cream & Frozen Dairy Wholesale (AFAIAEAF)

Keywords

• Small-batch ice cream
• Ice cream scoop shops
• Corporate ice cream gifting
• Wholesale ice cream distribution
• Ice cream catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Mill Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Retail Sales: Sales through company-owned scoop shops at R. House, Cross Street Market, and Lexington Market locations, serving customers directly for in-store consumption
2. E-commerce Home Delivery: Online orders shipped to customers locally and nationwide with minimum 6 pints per order. Offers individual pints and bundle pricing (7 for $80, 8 for $85)
3. Wholesale Distribution: Bulk ice cream supply to restaurants, retail shops, hotels, and universities throughout the mid-Atlantic region including Virginia, Washington D.C., Baltimore MD, and Columbia MD. Manufacturing approximately 60 flavors and specialty flavors for restaurants
4. Corporate Gifting: B2B corporate gifting program offering curated flavor collections (Best Sellers, Graham Lovers, Kosher, Gluten-Free, Chocolate Lovers, Non-Dairy, Staff Picks) for client appreciation, employee rewards, and corporate events. Includes assisted and self-serve ordering options
5. Fundraising Program: Ice cream fundraiser sales supporting local schools, sports teams, and charities with unique fundraiser codes tracking donations
6. Event Services: Ice cream truck and tabletop catering services for weddings, birthdays, corporate events, and parties with optional sundae bar
7. Third-Party Delivery: Sales through Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub platforms for customer convenience

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Taharka Brothers manufactures and sells approximately 60 flavors of small-batch ice cream through company-owned scoop shops (R. House, Cross Street Market, Lexington Market) in Baltimore and direct-to-consumer e-commerce with nationwide cold-chain shipping (minimum 6 pints per order). The company also distributes wholesale to restaurants, retail shops, hotels, and universities across the mid-Atlantic region, operates a corporate gifting program with assisted and self-serve ordering options, runs two ice cream trucks for event catering, and supports school and charity fundraisers. The employee-owned business combines workforce development for young adults from Baltimore's most troubled neighborhoods with award-winning small-batch ice cream production.

Product overview

Taharka Brothers is a Baltimore-based employee-owned ice cream company offering a portfolio of small-batch, gourmet ice cream products distributed through multiple channels. The core offerings include home delivery (6-8 pint minimum), three physical scoop shop locations in Baltimore, and wholesale distribution to restaurants and retailers. Additional services include Self Serve Corporate Gifting (a self-service platform for bulk personalized gifts), the Corporate Gifting Program (assisted bulk ordering with over a dozen flavors including dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, and Kosher options), Gift Box Collections (pre-curated themed sets), Fundraisers (for schools and organizations), Event Bookings (ice cream trucks and tabletop setups for celebrations), and Ice Cream Social Pick Up (bulk pickup for events). The company manufactures approximately 60 flavors including award-winning favorites like Honey Graham, Mintflix and Chillz, Key Lime Pie, and Caramel Crunch, with rotating seasonal flavors and local business collaborations. Products are also available through third-party delivery platforms DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Home Delivery Direct-to-consumer nationwide ice cream delivery service allowing individual customers to order a minimum of 6 pints of small-batch ice cream online for direct home shipping via cold-chain logistics, with pricing at $12.50 per pint and volume tiers of 7 pints for $80 or 8 pints for $85. Ships to all 48 contiguous states plus Washington D.C. Targets individual consumers, personal gifting senders, and households seeking premium small-batch ice cream delivered to their door.
• Scoop Shops Three company-owned scoop shops in Baltimore (R. House, Cross Street Market, and Lexington Market) selling small-batch ice cream in scoops, pints, and takeaway formats to walk-in consumers in the Baltimore metro area.
• Corporate Gifting B2B corporate gifting service enabling businesses to send hand-crafted, small-batch ice cream to clients, customers, and employees with personalized messaging. Includes curated flavor collections (Best Sellers at $75, Graham Lovers, Kosher, Gluten-Free, Chocolate Lovers, Non-Dairy, Staff Picks) and is operated via assisted bulk ordering and a proprietary self-serve corporate gifting portal that supports multi-recipient personalized shipments across all 48 contiguous states plus DC.
• Wholesale Distribution B2B wholesale distribution program supplying approximately 60 rotating flavors of small-batch ice cream to restaurants, retail shops, hotels, and universities across the mid-Atlantic region (Virginia, Washington D.C., Baltimore MD, and Columbia MD), with the ability to develop specialty restaurant flavors for partner menus.
• Fundraisers Dedicated fundraising program for schools, sports teams, and charities to sell Taharka Brothers ice cream as a fundraiser product, supported by a dedicated company contact ([email protected]). Historically generating tens of thousands of dollars for participating organizations across multiple sell-out events.
• Event Bookings Event catering service operating two ice cream trucks to serve Baltimore and the broader mid-Atlantic area at birthday parties, corporate gatherings, weddings, and other events, with online booking available through the company website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Has raised tens of thousands of dollars for local schools, sports teams and charities through fundraising program

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ben & Jerry's: Mass-market premium ice cream with social mission heritage, broad grocery and foodservice distribution; broader incumbent competing for the same wholesale and corporate gift wallets.
• Tillamook County Creamery Association: Farmer-owned regional dairy brand with growing premium ice cream line sold grocery and foodservice; broad incumbent with employee-owned structure analogous to Taharka.
• Häagen-Dazs: Established super-premium ice cream sold through grocery and scoop shops; broader incumbent that anchors the premium price tier Taharka competes in.

Emerging players

• Ample Hills Creamery: Premium scoop and pint brand with strong national wholesale; emerging player with overlapping scoop-shop + pint delivery model.
• Coolhaus: Innovative premium scoop and pint brand with CPG and foodservice presence; emerging player comparable to Taharka's flavor experimentation and catering/event business.
• McConnell's Fine Ice Creams: Premium small-batch ice cream with scoop shops and DTC pints; emerging player closely aligned with Taharka's craft, mission-driven positioning.

Direct peers

• Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Premium small-batch ice cream with nationwide shipping, scoop shops, and similar Baltimore/DTC/wholesale playbook; directly comparable on category, channel mix, and pricing.
• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: Premium craft ice cream brand selling pints DTC and through retail/wholesale; directly comparable channel mix and premium price point to Taharka's home delivery and gifting.
• Salt & Straw Ice Cream: Small-batch scoop-shop and pint-DTC brand with rotating flavors; directly comparable to Taharka's scoop shop footprint + 60-flavor approach and premium positioning.

Regional players

• Graeter's Ice Cream: Regional premium scoop and pint brand with retail/wholesale in select states; regional peer with similar multi-channel premium craft approach outside the mid-Atlantic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TaharkaBros
• Instagraminstagram.com/taharkabros
• Xx.com/taharkabros

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Taharka