Richardsons Ice Cream

What Richardsons Ice Cream does

Richardsons Ice Cream is a private, United States-based manufacturer and retailer of flavored ice cream, positioned as an artisanal small-batch producer with an emphasis on innovative flavor profiles and quality ingredients. The company serves consumers seeking premium handcrafted ice cream and has extended its menu to accommodate dietary preferences, offering both dairy and vegan options. Its distribution model is anchored in physical retail storefront operations, with coverage concentrated in the Chicago market.

The firm's production model centers on in-house small-batch manufacturing rather than industrial-scale output, which underpins its differentiator of creative and unconventional flavor development. The offering spans traditional dairy and plant-based formulations, addressing both conventional premium-ice-cream demand and the growing vegan/flexitarian segment. Public information does not disclose pricing strategy, wholesale relationships, e-commerce channels, or specific customer segments, and the company's core technology stack is not publicly documented, indicating a relatively traditional food-retail operating posture.

Richardardsons operates with a headcount band of 251–500 employees per firmographic data — which is unusually high for what third-party coverage describes as a single-location artisanal shop, suggesting either an aggregated parent/affiliate headcount or a data-quality issue that cannot be resolved from the available sources. No funding rounds, partnerships, leadership team, M&A activity, or financial disclosures are present in the input, and the most recent signal (July 2025 press feature) confirms active operating status. Founded year is listed as 1695, which appears implausible given ice cream's historical timeline and likely reflects a data entry error rather than a verified founding date.

Name

Richardsons Ice Cream

Website

https://richardsonsicecream.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Richardsons Ice Cream is a private, US-based artisanal ice cream producer operating primarily through a Chicago-area retail storefront, offering small-batch, innovative-flavor dairy and vegan ice cream to premium and dietary-inclusion-seeking consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Middleton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Core offering

Richardsons Ice Cream is an artisanal ice cream manufacturer that produces small batches of handcrafted ice cream in-house. The company is known for innovative and creative flavor profiles and accommodates diverse dietary preferences by offering both dairy and vegan options.

Product overview

Richardsons Ice Cream is an artisanal ice cream shop producing small batches in-house, known for innovative flavors and a commitment to quality. The company caters to diverse dietary preferences, offering both dairy and vegan options. The shop operates as a single-location artisanal producer focused on handcrafted ice cream with creative flavor profiles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artisanal Dairy Ice Cream

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Artisanal, small-batch ice cream brand known for innovative flavors and direct-to-consumer scoop shops. Highly comparable to Richardsons in production philosophy, premium positioning, and flavor-forward product development.
• Salt & Straw Ice Cream: Handcrafted, small-batch artisanal ice cream with a focus on creative and locally-sourced flavors. Operates a similar scoop-shop retail model and competes in the same premium artisanal segment.
• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: Premium artisanal ice cream brand offering dairy and vegan options with a retail scoop-shop model. Directly comparable in product format (dairy + vegan) and premium positioning.
• McConnell's Fine Ice Creams: Small-batch, high-quality ice cream producer with retail storefronts and a focus on artisanal craft. Comparable in production scale, premium positioning, and direct-to-consumer retail distribution.
• Coolhaus: Artisanal ice cream brand known for inventive flavors and architectural naming, with retail and foodservice presence. Comparable premium artisanal positioning and creative flavor development.
• Graeter's Ice Cream: Family-owned, small-batch artisanal ice cream maker with retail scoop shops and regional distribution. Comparable in heritage brand positioning, small-batch production methods, and direct-to-consumer retail model.

Broad incumbents

• Häagen-Dazs: Established premium ice cream brand with broad retail distribution and a wide flavor portfolio. Comparable as a premium-tier frozen dessert competitor, though operating at vastly greater scale and distribution breadth.
• Ben & Jerry's: Iconic ice cream brand with national distribution, known for innovative flavors and inclusive values. Comparable in flavor innovation and brand-led positioning, though at much larger scale.
• Talenti Gelato: Premium gelato and ice cream brand with national grocery distribution. Comparable as a premium frozen dessert offering in the same category, though mass-distributed rather than shop-based.
• Tillamook County Creamery Association: Dairy and ice cream producer with broad retail distribution and strong regional brand recognition. Comparable as a vertically-integrated dairy producer making branded premium ice cream at scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/richardsonsfarmincmiddleton

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Richardsons Ice Cream