Wilcox Ice Cream
Wilcox Ice Cream is a sixth-generation family-owned Vermont ice cream manufacturer and regional specialty foods distributor, producing its own Wilcox Premium Ice Cream line and distributing roughly 1,500 SKUs across frozen foods, baked goods, and gluten-free products to 60+ retailers in VT, NY, MA, and NH via company-owned frozen trucks.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1892
- HeadquartersArlington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Wilcox Ice Cream does
Wilcox Ice Cream (legally Vermont's Original Ice Cream Inc.) is a sixth-generation, family-owned Vermont ice cream manufacturer and specialty foods distributor founded in 1892 and headquartered in East Arlington, Vermont. The company produces its own Wilcox Premium Ice Cream line — including Pint, Quart, Super Premium, and Tub formats, plus frozen yogurt and 802 novelty bars — using a proprietary family recipe and Vermont milk sourced from St. Albans Creamery. In parallel, Wilcox operates as a regional multi-brand distributor, carrying approximately 1,500 SKUs that include third-party ice cream brands (Häagen-Dazs, Perry's Premium, Strafford Organic, Leonardo's Gelato, Carvel Ice Cream Cakes, soft serve mixes), frozen specialty foods, baked goods and breakfast pastries (added via a 2012 acquisition), gluten-free products, and Wilcox-branded merchandise.
Wilcox serves retail grocery, farm market, cooperative, and specialty food customers across Vermont, southern Massachusetts, eastern New Hampshire, and the New York border. Distribution is executed via a captive fleet of frozen delivery trucks providing once-weekly or bi-monthly service, with an $8 per-ticket delivery charge. The customer mix spans roughly 60+ retail locations, including chain grocers (Price Chopper with 9 doors, Hannaford with 2, Shaw's with 2) and a long tail of independent grocers, farm markets, and co-ops. Pricing is wholesale unit-based with no disclosed minimums for regular service areas.
The business model is a hybrid of in-house ice cream manufacturing (using a family recipe dating to 1928) and wholesale distribution of complementary specialty food brands. Marketing is limited to a Facebook page and a basic company website; ordering is conducted by phone or email. Following a 2001 fire that destroyed the original plant, Wilcox operated from third-party facilities until 2015, when it consolidated manufacturing and distribution into its current owned East Arlington facility. The company received a non-dilutive award from the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center in November 2023.
Wilcox Ice Cream firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wilcox Ice Cream
- Legal name
- Vermont's Original Ice Cream Inc.
- Website
- https://wilcox-ice-cream.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1892
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Wilcox Ice Cream is a sixth-generation family-owned Vermont ice cream manufacturer and regional specialty foods distributor, producing its own Wilcox Premium Ice Cream line and distributing roughly 1,500 SKUs across frozen foods, baked goods, and gluten-free products to 60+ retailers in VT, NY, MA, and NH via company-owned frozen trucks.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wilcox Ice Cream industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Premium Ice Cream Manufacturing and Specialty Foods Distribution
- NAICS
- Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520), Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers (42442)
- SIC
- Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ice Cream, Frozen Desserts & Novelties Manufacturing (AFAKAKAE)
Keywords
Where Wilcox Ice Cream is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Arlington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Wilcox Ice Cream business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Ice Cream Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale distribution of premium ice cream to retail stores, grocery chains, farm markets, and co-ops. Products include Wilcox Premium Ice Cream in pints, quarts, and gallons, as well as Perry's Premium, Strafford Organic, and specialty gelato/sorbet.
- Specialty Foods Distribution: Distribution of specialty food products including baked goods, breakfast pastries, frozen foods, cookies, cakes, and gluten-free products. Expanded product line acquired through baked goods business purchase in 2012.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Clothing merchandise - Short-Sleeved Shirt |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Clothing merchandise - Hat |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Delivery charge |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels1 record
Wilcox Ice Cream product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wilcox Ice Cream manufactures premium Vermont-style ice cream, frozen yogurt, and novelty bars at its own East Arlington, Vermont plant using Vermont milk from St. Albans Creamery, sold in pint, quart, super premium, and 3-gallon formats. The company also distributes a catalog of over 1,500 specialty food products—including third-party ice cream brands (Perry's Premium, Strafford Organic, Häagen-Dazs, Leonardo's Gelato, Carvel), baked goods, frozen pizzas, gluten-free items, desserts, and branded apparel—through its own frozen delivery trucks to retailers across Vermont and adjoining states.
Product overview
Wilcox Ice Cream is a Vermont-based ice cream manufacturer and specialty foods distributor offering over 1,500 products. The portfolio centers on its own Wilcox Premium Ice Cream brand (available in Pint, Quart, Super Premium, and Tub formats) alongside Wilcox Frozen Yogurt and Wilcox 802 novelty bars. The company distributes a wide range of third-party brands across ice cream (Perry's Premium, Strafford Organic, Häagen-Dazs, Leonardo's Gelato, Carvel Ice Cream Cakes, soft serve mixes), specialty frozen foods (pizzas, dinners, bagels, breads), breakfast pastries and baked goods, cakes and cheesecakes, gluten-free products, and branded merchandise. The business operates as both a manufacturer and a multi-brand distributor serving retail and foodservice customers throughout Vermont and surrounding states.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wilcox Premium Ice Cream Wilcox's flagship ice cream line offered in Pint, Quart, Super Premium, 1 Gallon Tub, and 3 Gallon Tub formats, featuring classic and specialty flavors such as Black Raspberry, Maple Walnut, Sea Salt Caramel, and Coffee Heath Bar; positioned as non-GMO with no artificial colors, preservatives, flavors, or sweeteners. Sold wholesale to retailers across the Northeast.
- Wilcox Frozen Yogurt Wilcox-branded frozen yogurt product line distributed alongside the company's ice cream portfolio to retail accounts.
- Wilcox 802 Bars (Novelty Ice Cream Bars) Wilcox-branded novelty bars including Non-Dairy Sorbet Bars and Chocolate Dipped Ice Cream Bars in flavors such as Espresso and Fudgie, sold to retail accounts.
- Perry's Premium Ice Cream Distributed third-party ice cream brand available in 48 oz sizes with flavors including Bittersweet Sinphony, Heavenly Hash, Death by Chocolate, and Tuxedo, along with frozen yogurt and sherbet variants.
- Strafford Organic Ice Cream Organically certified ice cream distributed in 1.5 Gallon Tubs with flavors such as Chocolate Coconut, Winter Mint, Smooth Maple, and Sweet Guernsey Cream.
- Leonardo's Gelato & Sorbet Italian-style gelato and sorbet distributed in Pint and 1.25 Gallon sizes with flavors such as Sam's Chocolate Chip, Hazelnut, Cappuccino, Amareno Cherry, and Green Tea.
- Soft Serve Mix (Kingdom, Hood, Sunshine River) Soft serve ice cream mix products distributed through Wilcox, including Kingdom (Chocolate, Vanilla, Maple, Neutral Base in 10% and 5% varieties), Hood (Chocolate and Vanilla at 5%), and Sunshine River (Yogurt Mix at 10%).
- Carvel Ice Cream Cakes Brand-name Carvel ice cream cakes distributed through Wilcox, including 25oz Ribbon Cake (Original), 46oz Oreo Cake, and 32oz Cookie Dough, sold 4 per case.
- Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream and Sorbet Häagen-Dazs premium ice cream and sorbet distributed through Wilcox, including Swiss Almond Vanilla and Raspberry and Mango Sorbets.
- Frozen Specialty Foods Broad portfolio of frozen specialty food products distributed by Wilcox, including frozen pizzas (Slice of Vermont, Goodman's Woodfired Pizza, Capone Foods), pizza doughs, veggie burgers, organic juices, kombucha, cold-pressed coffee, dressings, smoothies, hot sauces, mustards, salsas, pasta sauces, frozen dinners, bagels, breads, breakfast pastries, cookies, brownies, cakes, cheesecakes, tarts, tiramisu, gelato, and Italian ice.
- Breakfast Pastries & Baked Goods Distributed portfolio of breakfast pastries and baked goods including coffee cakes, crumb cakes, yogurt muffins and loaves, scones, croissants, danish, cinnamon buns, apple fritters, cookies, bars, and brownies from brands such as Morrison's Bakery, Brix Sugar House, Mirabelle's Bakery, Hoff's Bakery, and Grandma Miller's Pies & Pastries.
- Cakes, Cheesecakes & Individual Desserts Assortment of cakes, cheesecakes, tarts, tiramisu, individual desserts, mini bombes, tartuffos, ripienos, and gelato desserts distributed through Wilcox, available in various sizes and flavors from brands such as Grandma Miller's, Hoff's Bakery, and Silverland Bakery.
- Gluten Free Products Dedicated line of gluten-free products distributed by Wilcox, including breads, pizzas, wraps, pizza shells, pita pockets, baguettes, and desserts such as cookies, brownies, and cakes from brands including Against the Grain, Freedom Foods, Toufayan, Annie's Bakery, and Silverland Bakery.
- Wilcox Branded Clothing & Merchandise Wilcox Ice Cream branded merchandise including short-sleeved t-shirts (Green, sizes S–XL, 90% Cotton/10% Polyester, $15.00) and hats (Black cotton or trucker style, adjustable, $20.00).
Companies that use Wilcox Ice Cream
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Wilcox Ice Cream technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Wilcox Ice Cream partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Wilcox Ice Cream competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Hudsonville Ice Cream: Michigan-based regional ice cream manufacturer. Comparable as a family-rooted regional ice cream maker distributing through independent and chain grocery in its home region, similar in size and channel mix to Wilcox.
- Vermont Creamery: Vermont-based specialty dairy manufacturer (butter, cheese, ice cream) now owned by Land O'Lakes. Comparable as a Vermont-anchored premium dairy brand selling into the same New England specialty and natural-food retail channel Wilcox serves.
Direct peers
- Strafford Organic Creamery: Vermont-based certified organic ice cream manufacturer. Comparable as a small Vermont craft ice cream peer; also a current Wilcox distribution partner, so operates as both supplier and channel peer.
- Perry's Ice Cream: Western New York regional ice cream manufacturer and distributor. Comparable as both a manufacturing peer and a distributed brand that Wilcox carries; serves a similar grocery and foodservice customer base in the Northeast.
- Gelato Fiasco: Maine-based craft gelato and ice cream manufacturer selling into New England grocery and foodservice. Highly comparable in scale and craft-premium positioning to Wilcox's own manufacturing business, and overlaps in the same New England independent/specialty retail channel.
Broad incumbents
- Turkey Hill Dairy: Pennsylvania-based regional ice cream and beverage manufacturer. Comparable as a regional ice cream manufacturer/distributor with a multi-category frozen portfolio serving East Coast grocery chains.
- Ben & Jerry's: Vermont-based premium ice cream brand owned by Unilever. Competes with Wilcox for the same Vermont-anchored, premium, natural-ingredient positioning in New England grocery freezers, but at vastly greater scale and marketing investment.
- Häagen-Dazs: Global premium ice cream brand owned by Nestlé. Competes with Wilcox's premium line in the same retail freezers, and is also a third-party brand Wilcox distributes — making it both competitor and supplier.
Emerging players
- Sweet Rose Creamery: Small-batch premium ice cream brand with both scoop shops and grocery distribution. Comparable as a craft-premium ice cream peer pursuing natural-ingredient positioning in independent and natural-food retail.
- Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Ohio-based craft premium ice cream brand scaling nationally via direct-to-consumer and grocery. Comparable as a craft-premium ice cream peer pursuing the same natural-ingredient, storytelling-led positioning Wilcox relies on.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Wilcox Ice Cream social profiles
Digital presenceWilcox Ice Cream financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wilcox Ice Cream leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Wilcox Ice Cream funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wilcox Ice Cream M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wilcox Ice Cream
What does Wilcox Ice Cream do?
Wilcox Ice Cream manufactures premium Vermont-style ice cream, frozen yogurt, and novelty bars at its own East Arlington, Vermont plant using Vermont milk from St. Albans Creamery, sold in pint, quart, super premium, and 3-gallon formats. The company also distributes a catalog of over 1,500 specialty food products—including third-party ice cream brands (Perry's Premium, Strafford Organic, Häagen-Dazs, Leonardo's Gelato, Carvel), baked goods, frozen pizzas, gluten-free items, desserts, and branded apparel—through its own frozen delivery trucks to retailers across Vermont and adjoining states.
Is Wilcox Ice Cream a public or private company?
Wilcox Ice Cream is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Wilcox Ice Cream founded?
Wilcox Ice Cream was founded in 1892. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Wilcox Ice Cream based?
Wilcox Ice Cream is headquartered in Arlington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Wilcox Ice Cream make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Ice Cream Wholesale Distribution is the primary driver. The others are specialty Foods Distribution.
Who are Wilcox Ice Cream's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Hudsonville Ice Cream and Vermont Creamery. Direct peers are Strafford Organic Creamery, Perry's Ice Cream and Gelato Fiasco. Broad incumbents are Turkey Hill Dairy, Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs. Emerging players are Sweet Rose Creamery and Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.
Does Wilcox Ice Cream have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wilcox Ice Cream.
What industry is Wilcox Ice Cream in?
Wilcox Ice Cream's product category is Premium Ice Cream Manufacturing and Specialty Foods Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAKAE, Ice Cream, Frozen Desserts & Novelties Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 311520 and its SIC code is 2024.