Schoep's Ice Cream

What Schoep's Ice Cream does

Schoep's Ice Cream is a Madison, Wisconsin-based manufacturer of branded ice cream, sherbet, frozen custard, and frozen novelties, founded in 1928 and operating today as a private subsidiary of California-based Brothers Desserts (the Winkler family) following a 2020 acquisition out of receivership. The company produces an all-natural product line built primarily on Wisconsin dairy sourced from neighboring farms, with no artificial flavors or coloring across most SKUs, and holds SQF3, KOF-K Kosher, and certified organic facility credentials. Its operations span a Division Street production plant, Helena Street offices, and a state-of-the-art distribution facility on Manufacturers Drive that supports an annual production capacity above 12 million gallons, ranking it among the largest independent ice cream manufacturers in the United States.

The product portfolio covers retail pints and half-pints (including an industry-first 1/2 pint single-serve format), bulk 3-gallon tubs for scoop shops, and a novelty line of bars, sandwiches, and nutty cones under flavors such as Black Raspberry, Moose Tracks, Sea Salt Caramel, and Uff Da Vanilla. Schoep's distributes through a regional grocery network across the upper Midwest (Woodman's, Sendiks, Piggly Wiggly, Kwik Trip, Pick n Save, and independent retailers), through scoop shop wholesale accounts, and increasingly via the Brothers Desserts direct-to-consumer online ordering platform. Marketing emphasizes heritage, regional identity, and community engagement through an ambassador program and @SchoepsIceCream social channels, with a stated intent to expand distribution and product availability.

Revenue mechanics are straightforward wholesale and retail unit pricing set by individual retail accounts, with no public pricing disclosure. The business is structurally diversified across many SMB and regional retail customers, but is geographically concentrated in the upper Midwest. Post-acquisition, Brothers Desserts has signaled investment in facility improvements, production capacity, and omnichannel expansion, though no revenue, headcount, or unit volume figures have been disclosed under the new ownership.

Name

Schoep's Ice Cream

Legal name

Schoeps-cp

Website

https://schoepsicecream.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Schoep's Ice Cream is a Madison, Wisconsin-based manufacturer of all-natural branded ice cream, sherbet, frozen custard, and novelties, founded in 1928 and owned since 2020 by Brothers Desserts. It distributes through upper Midwest grocery chains, scoop shops, and an emerging online channel, producing 12M+ gallons annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Ice Cream Manufacturing

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520)

SIC

Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024), Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Cream, Frozen Desserts & Novelties Manufacturing (AFAKAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dairy-Based Frozen Novelties Manufacturing (Bars, Sandwiches, Cones) (AFAHAEAG), Ice Cream & Refrigerated Desserts (CRADACAE)

Keywords

• Premium ice cream
• Frozen novelties
• Dairy desserts
• Ice cream manufacturing
• Wholesale frozen dairy

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ice Cream Product Sales: Schoep's generates revenue through the sale of ice cream products in various formats including 3-gallon tubs for scoop shops, retail pints, half-pints, novelties (bars, sandwiches, cones), and sherbets. Products are sold through retail grocery partners and direct-to-consumer online ordering through the Brothers Desserts platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Schoep's Ice Cream manufactures and distributes an all-natural, premium Wisconsin-made ice cream portfolio from its Madison facility, sold in retail pints, 1/2-pint single-serve packaging, frozen novelties (bars, sandwiches, nutty cones), 3-gallon tubs for scoop shops, sherbets, and low-fat varieties. Made with real Wisconsin dairy and no artificial ingredients, products are sold across the upper Midwest through grocery partners and online via the Brothers Desserts platform.

Product overview

Schoep's Ice Cream is a family-owned ice cream company based in Madison, Wisconsin, established in 1928. The company produces a portfolio of ice cream products including retail flavors (Black Raspberry, Buttered Pecan, Classic Chocolate, Classic Vanilla, Cookie Dough, Cookies and Cream, Malted Milk, Mint Chip, Moose Tracks, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Peppermint Stick, Sea Salt Caramel, Very Berry Strawberry, and Uff Da Vanilla), Half Pints (single-serve 1/2 pint packaging in Vanilla Bean and Choc Choc Chip), Novelties (Ice Cream Bars, Ice Cream Sandwiches, Nutty Cones), and Bulk products (3 Gallon Tubs for scoop shops). Schoep's positions itself as an all-natural, ultra-premium ice cream maker using real Wisconsin dairy from local cows without artificial ingredients. The company was acquired in 2020 by Brothers Desserts (founded in 1973), which also owns Brothers Ice Cream, Natural Choice, Absolute Fruit Sorbet, and NutriFreeze brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Schoep's Ice Cream Retail Flavors Premium all-natural retail ice cream available in multiple classic and unique flavors including Black Raspberry, Buttered Pecan, Classic Chocolate, Classic Vanilla, Cookie Dough, Cookies and Cream, Malted Milk, Mint Chip, Moose Tracks, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Peppermint Stick, Sea Salt Caramel, Very Berry Strawberry, and Uff Da Vanilla, sold through retail grocery partners in pint formats.
• Schoep's Half Pint Single-serve 1/2 pint ice cream packaging, an industry-first format offering a single dessert portion, available in Vanilla Bean and Choc Choc Chip varieties for retail consumers.
• Ice Cream Bars Chocolate-dipped vanilla ice cream bars — vanilla ice cream enrobed in a delicate milk chocolate shell, sold as part of the Schoep's frozen novelty line for retail consumers.
• Ice Cream Sandwich Classic ice cream sandwich made with better ingredients and better ice cream, leaving chocolate finger-prints after eating, sold as part of the Big Event novelty line.
• Nutty Cones Stand-alone treat featuring vanilla ice cream, flaky chocolate, and peanuts in a sugar cone, sold as part of Schoep's retail frozen novelty line.
• 3 Gallon Tubs for Scoop Shops Bulk 3-gallon ice cream tubs sold wholesale to scoop shops, ice cream parlors, and retail establishments that scoop ice cream for on-premise consumption.
• Home Pak Half-Gallon Take-Home Cartons Innovative half-gallon take-home carton format introduced in 1946 that became a popular ice cream packaging format and helped expand Schoep's sales beyond Madison throughout the Midwest.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced over 12 million gallons in 2017, ranking among the largest independent ice cream manufacturers in the US
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Brothers Desserts (The Winkler Family)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Brothers Desserts, founded in 1973 by Gary and Errol Winkler and based in California, acquired Schoep's Ice Cream in 2020 after Schoep's filed for receivership in October 2019. The Winklers, owners and founders of Brothers International Desserts (established in 1973), purchased Schoep's and all its assets including the plant at 514 Division St., offices at 2066 and 2070 Helena St., and warehouse at 6801 Manufacturers Drive. Brothers offered employment to substantially all Schoep's employees. The acquisition was driven by the crossover between both family-run businesses and the opportunity to grow and steward Schoep's into the next generation. Brothers plans to expand production capabilities and grow in Madison.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wells Enterprises (Blue Bunny): Wells Enterprises is one of the largest family-owned/independent ice cream manufacturers in the US (Blue Bunny, Halo Top, Bomb Pop), making it the closest scale-comparable independent peer to Schoep's outside of the publicly-traded majors.
• Blue Bell Creameries: Blue Bell is a regional heritage independent ice cream manufacturer with strong regional loyalty and similar go-to-market (grocery + foodservice distribution in its core territory), directly comparable to Schoep's upper-Midwest positioning.
• Graeter's Ice Cream: Graeter's is a heritage, family-owned premium ice cream brand based in Ohio, with retail pints, scoop shops, and similar direct-to-consumer e-commerce—competing head-to-head with Schoep's for premium shelf share and gift-shipping occasions.
• Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Jeni's is a leading independent premium ice cream manufacturer with strong national grocery distribution and direct retail/scoop-shop presence, competing directly with Schoep's in the ultra-premium all-natural category.
• Tillamook County Creamery Association: Tillamook is a farmer-owned regional dairy cooperative that has expanded aggressively into ice cream with a 'real ingredients, no artificial' positioning—directly mirroring Schoep's Wisconsin-dairy, all-natural brand story.
• Turkey Hill Dairy: Turkey Hill is a Pennsylvania-based regional dairy and ice cream manufacturer with branded pints, novelties, and scoop-shop supply, comparable to Schoep's in regional brand strength and B2B scoop-shop distribution.
• Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company: Chocolate Shoppe is a Wisconsin-based independent ice cream brand known for super-premium flavors and Wisconsin dairy, directly competing with Schoep's in its home-state grocery and scoop-shop channels.
• Kemps (HP Hood): Kemps is a longstanding Midwest dairy and ice cream producer (sherbets, novelties, pints) with overlapping retail distribution throughout the upper Midwest, where it competes head-to-head with Schoep's.
• Oberweis Dairy: Oberweis is a family-owned regional Midwest dairy and ice cream brand with home delivery, scoop shops, and grocery products, highly comparable to Schoep's in regional heritage positioning and product mix.

Broad incumbents

• Friendly's Ice Cream: Friendly's is an established ice cream-focused restaurant/brand with branded pints, novelties, and scoop shop heritage; while broader in scope (dining + retail), it competes with Schoep's in the novelty and packaged ice cream aisle.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/schoepsicecream
• Facebookfacebook.com/schoeps-ice-cream-112019327473
• Instagraminstagram.com/schoepsicecream
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/915061

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Schoep's Ice Cream