Friendly Ice Cream
Friendly's is a US packaged ice cream brand founded in 1935 and 100% owned by Dairy Farmers of America. It sells 40+ flavors of ice cream, novelty items, and handmade ice cream cakes through grocery retail and a chain of Friendly's restaurants, targeting families and general consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1935
- HeadquartersWilbraham, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Friendly Ice Cream does
Friendly Ice Cream (operating as Friendly's) is a US packaged ice cream and frozen dairy dessert brand founded in 1935 by Prestly and Curtis Blake in Springfield, Massachusetts. Its core technology is traditional dairy processing combining milkfat, cream, and flavorings into a portfolio of 40+ ice cream flavors, supplemented by novelty items (bars, sandwiches, cones, sundae cups) and handmade ice cream cakes ranging from 26 oz to 80 oz. The company pioneered pre-packaged half-gallon retail ice cream in 1950, a category-defining product innovation that helped establish the modern US supermarket ice cream aisle.
The brand is 100% owned by Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a US dairy cooperative, which provides upstream dairy supply-chain integration and farmer-owned governance. Friendly's generates revenue through two channels: retail packaged ice cream sold via grocery chains, supermarkets, and convenience stores for at-home consumption, and a separate Friendly's restaurant chain offering dine-in and take-out food and ice cream. Signature products include the Moose Tracks® fudge-and-peanut-butter-cup line, the Fribble® milkshake trademark, and the Big Chipper® ice cream sandwich. Co-branded licensing deals with Oreo/Mondelez and Marvel/Disney extend the portfolio into celebration cakes and licensed novelty items. Marketing centers on brand heritage, family positioning, social channels (Facebook, Instagram), and the Club Fun loyalty program offering birthday treats and members-only perks. The company is led by CEO Donald N. Smith, operates from Wilbraham, Massachusetts, with consumer-affairs correspondence routed through DFA Dairy Brands in El Paso, Texas.
Friendly Ice Cream firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Friendly Ice Cream
- Legal name
- Friendly's (Brand of Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.)
- Website
- https://friendlys.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1935
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Friendly's is a US packaged ice cream brand founded in 1935 and 100% owned by Dairy Farmers of America. It sells 40+ flavors of ice cream, novelty items, and handmade ice cream cakes through grocery retail and a chain of Friendly's restaurants, targeting families and general consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Friendly Ice Cream industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Packaged Ice Cream and Frozen Dairy Desserts
- NAICS
- Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (31152), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115)
- SIC
- Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ice Cream, Frozen Desserts & Novelties Manufacturing (AFAKAKAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Ice Cream & Refrigerated Desserts (CRADACAE)
Keywords
Where Friendly Ice Cream is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wilbraham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Friendly Ice Cream business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Retail Ice Cream Sales: Sale of ice cream, frozen dairy desserts, and novelty products through grocery stores, supermarkets, and retail chains for home consumption. Products include pints/quart containers, ice cream cakes, bars, sandwiches, cones, and sundae cups.
- Restaurant/Dining: Friendly's restaurant chain offers dine-in and take-out ice cream and food items through company-owned and potentially franchised locations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Friendly Ice Cream product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Friendly's manufactures and sells branded packaged ice cream and frozen dairy desserts — including scoopable ice cream in 1.5 quart containers with 40+ flavors, novelty bars, sandwiches, cones, sundae cups, and handmade ice cream cakes (26 oz to 80 oz) — distributed through U.S. grocery retailers and the Friendly's restaurant chain. The brand is 100% farmer-owned by Dairy Farmers of America and has been operating since 1935.
Product overview
Friendly's is a frozen dessert company offering a comprehensive portfolio of ice cream and frozen dairy dessert products. The core offering consists of scoopable ice cream in 1.5 quart containers with over 40 flavors, complemented by novelty items including ice cream bars (6-pack and 20-pack), sandwiches, cones, sundae cups (single-serve 6 oz and 8.5 oz), and ice cream cakes (ranging from 26 oz to 80 oz). The brand is 100% farmer-owned by Dairy Farmers of America and has been scooping ice cream since 1935.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Friendly's Ice Cream — Scoopables Premium scoopable ice cream and frozen dairy dessert sold in 1.5 quart containers with 40+ flavors including Vanilla, Chocolate, Butter Pecan, Original Moose Tracks, and Peanut Butter Cup. Sold through U.S. grocery retailers for at-home family consumption.
- Friendly's Limited Time Ice Cream Flavors Seasonal and limited-time ice cream flavors in 1.5 quart containers, including Red, White & Blueberry, Monkey Business, and Fluffernutter. Sold through U.S. grocery retailers.
- Friendly's Ice Cream Bars and Novelties Bars and novelty items including Chocolate Cake Krunch Bars, Strawberry Cake Krunch Bars, Fudgealicious Bars, Ice Pops, Orange Cream Bars, Super Hero Krunch Bars, Unicorn Sparkle Krunch Bars, and Vanilla Bars in 6-pack and 20-pack sizes. Sold through U.S. grocery retailers.
Companies that use Friendly Ice Cream
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Friendly Ice Cream technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Friendly Ice Cream partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Dairy Farmers of America (DFA)coreFriendly's is a 100% farmer-owned brand of Dairy Farmers of America, a leading global dairy cooperative of family dairy farmers. DFA provides the dairy supply chain, with farmers caring for their cows, land, and communities. This is an ownership/integration relationship where DFA owns the Friendly's brand.
- Marvel Entertainment (Disney)minorLicensing agreement to produce Marvel Avengers Ice Cream Cake featuring Avengers characters. Limited-time seasonal product leveraging popular superhero IP.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Friendly Ice Cream competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Breyers: Mass-market US packaged ice cream brand owned by Unilever, competing head-to-head with Friendly's in grocery freezers across the country with significantly larger marketing scale.
- Wells Enterprises (Blue Bunny): Large US private-label and branded ice cream manufacturer (Blue Bunny, Bomb Pop, Halo Top) competing across novelty and scoop categories that overlap directly with Friendly's portfolio.
- Dreyer's / Edy's: Mass-market packaged ice cream brand owned by Nestlé with broad national grocery presence and a comparable family-flavor product line competing for the same shopper occasions.
Regional players
- Graeter's: Premium regional US ice cream maker with strong Midwest loyalty and expanding national grocery distribution; comparable artisanal craft positioning and family-owned heritage.
Direct peers
- Blue Bell Creameries: Regional premium ice cream manufacturer with deep brand loyalty in core US geographies, comparable in operating model (single-brand regional cooperative-style operator) to Friendly's.
- Tillamook: Farmer-owned premium dairy cooperative that has aggressively expanded into scoopable ice cream, competing with Friendly's on quality, sourcing story, and national grocery distribution.
- Turkey Hill Dairy: Regional US premium ice cream and frozen dessert brand selling through grocery and foodservice channels with a similar mass-premium positioning and broad flavor portfolio.
- Ben & Jerry's: Premium scoopable ice cream and novelty brand sold nationally through grocery channels; competes directly in the indulgent premium segment where Friendly's Moose Tracks line plays.
- Häagen-Dazs: Premium packaged and scoop-shop ice cream brand with national grocery distribution and a similar heritage premium positioning targeting celebration and indulgence occasions.
Emerging players
- Talenti: Premium gelato and frozen dessert brand owned by Unilever with national grocery distribution, competing in the indulgent better-dessert tier where Friendly's premium flavors compete for shelf space.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Friendly Ice Cream social profiles
Digital presenceFriendly Ice Cream financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Friendly Ice Cream leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Friendly Ice Cream funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Friendly 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 Friendly Ice Cream
What does Friendly Ice Cream do?
Friendly's manufactures and sells branded packaged ice cream and frozen dairy desserts — including scoopable ice cream in 1.5 quart containers with 40+ flavors, novelty bars, sandwiches, cones, sundae cups, and handmade ice cream cakes (26 oz to 80 oz) — distributed through U.S. grocery retailers and the Friendly's restaurant chain. The brand is 100% farmer-owned by Dairy Farmers of America and has been operating since 1935.
Is Friendly Ice Cream a public or private company?
Friendly Ice Cream is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Friendly Ice Cream founded?
Friendly Ice Cream was founded in 1935. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Friendly Ice Cream based?
Friendly Ice Cream is headquartered in Wilbraham, United States, in the North America region.
How does Friendly Ice Cream make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Retail Ice Cream Sales are the primary driver. The others are restaurant/Dining.
Who are Friendly Ice Cream's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Breyers, Wells Enterprises (Blue Bunny) and Dreyer's / Edy's. Graeter's is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Blue Bell Creameries, Tillamook, Turkey Hill Dairy, Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs. Talenti is listed as an emerging player.
Does Friendly Ice Cream have an API?
No public API is recorded for Friendly Ice Cream.
What industry is Friendly Ice Cream in?
Friendly Ice Cream's product category is Packaged Ice Cream and Frozen Dairy Desserts. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAKAE, Ice Cream, Frozen Desserts & Novelties Manufacturing, with a secondary code of CRADACAE, Ice Cream & Refrigerated Desserts. Its NAICS code is 31152 and its SIC code is 2024.