Big Dipper Ice Cream
Big Dipper Ice Cream is a privately held, Montana-based artisanal ice cream retailer founded in 1995. It operates four storefronts across Missoula, Helena, Billings, and Great Falls plus a mobile truck, serving individual consumers with handcrafted in-house ice cream.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersMissoula, Montana, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Big Dipper Ice Cream does
Big Dipper Ice Cream is a privately held, founder-owned artisanal ice cream retailer founded in 1995 in Missoula, Montana. The company produces handcrafted ice cream in-house using traditional methods and sells it through four brick-and-mortar storefronts across Montana — two in Missoula, plus locations in Helena, Billings, and Great Falls — and one mobile ice cream truck ('Coneboy') serving the Missoula area. Its product menu includes hand-scooped cones (single, double, kids), sundaes, milkshakes, floats, and hand- or pre-packed pints and quarts, supported by a rotating lineup of flavors that includes regional specialties such as Huckleberry, Cardamom Black Coffee, and Matcha Green Tea.
The company generates revenue through one-time retail transactions at the point of sale, supplemented by physical gift cards (redeemable at all locations) and location-specific electronic gift cards sold through a Square-powered online store. Its customer base is exclusively individual consumers, with no enterprise or wholesale accounts; an active community giving program donates cone cards, gift cards, merchandise, and ice cream to hundreds of Montana nonprofits annually. Marketing is executed almost entirely through earned media (Good Morning America, Food and Wine Magazine, USA Today, Yahoo News, Budget Travel) and organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram), with no disclosed paid acquisition or formal sales motion.
Big Dipper operates exclusively in Montana and has no parent company, institutional investors, subsidiaries, or disclosed funding rounds. There is no disclosed revenue, headcount, or financial data, and no evidence of AI, API, or proprietary technology beyond the standard e-commerce and social platforms. The business is a regional lifestyle retail operation that has sustained itself for nearly three decades through brand recognition, product quality, and community engagement rather than through technology differentiation or capital-driven scaling.
Big Dipper Ice Cream firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Big Dipper Ice Cream
- Legal name
- Big Dipper Ice Cream
- Website
- https://bigdippericecream.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Big Dipper Ice Cream is a privately held, Montana-based artisanal ice cream retailer founded in 1995. It operates four storefronts across Missoula, Helena, Billings, and Great Falls plus a mobile truck, serving individual consumers with handcrafted in-house ice cream.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Big Dipper Ice Cream industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artisanal Ice Cream
- NAICS
- Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520)
- SIC
- Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ice Cream & Gelato Shops (THAFAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Mobile Dessert Vendors (Ice Cream/Dessert Trucks & Carts) (THAFAHAG)
Keywords
Where Big Dipper Ice Cream is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Missoula, Montana
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Big Dipper Ice Cream business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail Ice Cream Sales: Direct retail sales of handcrafted ice cream through four permanent storefront locations and one mobile ice cream truck ('Coneboy'). Customers purchase individual items including cones, sundaes, shakes, floats, and pre-packaged pints and quarts. Sales are one-time transactions with no recurring revenue component.
- Gift Cards: Sale of physical gift cards (mailed to recipients, redeemable at all locations) and electronic gift cards (emailed to recipients, redeemable at specific locations). Gift cards represent pre-loaded value that converts to revenue upon redemption.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Big Dipper Ice Cream product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Big Dipper Ice Cream produces and sells handcrafted, small-batch ice cream made in-house since 1995. Offerings are served through four permanent Montana storefronts and one mobile ice cream truck ("Coneboy") in formats including cones, sundaes, shakes, floats, and pre-packaged pints and quarts, with rotating specialty flavors such as Huckleberry, Cardamom Black Coffee, and Matcha Green Tea. Supporting products include sorbet and both physical and electronic gift cards.
Product overview
Big Dipper Ice Cream operates as a multi-location ice cream parlor chain offering handcrafted ice cream since 1995. The core product is hand-scooped ice cream served in various formats: Cones (Single, Double, Kids), Sundaes (Little Dipper, Big Dipper), Pints and Quarts, Shakes, and Floats. The menu includes rotating specialty flavors like Huckleberry, Cardamom Black Coffee, and Matcha Green Tea, plus Sorbet options. Supporting offerings include physical and electronic Gift Cards redeemable across all locations, and the Coneboy mobile ice cream truck serving Missoula. The company has four physical locations in Montana (Missoula, Helena, Billings, Great Falls) and maintains an online ordering system via Square.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Coneboy: The ice cream truck serving customers in Missoula, Montana.
Products and services
- Handcrafted Ice Cream Handcrafted, small-batch ice cream produced in-house and sold in multiple serving formats (cones, sundaes, shakes, floats, pints, quarts) across four Montana storefronts and a mobile truck. Features rotating specialty flavors such as Vanilla, Chocolate, Huckleberry, Almond Joy, White Mint Oreo, Mocha Chip, Strawberry, Cardamom Black Coffee, Bubblegum, Bake Sale Cookie Dough, Matcha Green Tea, Mexican Chocolate, Vanilla & Reese's, Salted Caramel, Espresso Heath, and Yellow Cake. Targeted at individual consumers, families, and visitors to Montana communities.
- Sorbet Fruit-based frozen dessert offering at Big Dipper locations, available in flavors such as Tangerine; specific flavors and availability vary by location. Targeted at individual consumers seeking a non-dairy frozen dessert option.
- Gift Cards Pre-loaded value products enabling purchases at any Big Dipper location. Physical gift cards are mailed to recipients and redeemable at all storefronts; electronic gift cards are emailed to recipients and redeemable at the specific location designated at purchase. Sold through the company's Square online store and targeted at consumers seeking gifts for friends, family, or colleagues.
- Coneboy Mobile Ice Cream Truck Mobile retail ice cream service operating in the Missoula area, bringing Big Dipper's full menu of handcrafted ice cream (cones, sundaes, shakes, floats, pints, quarts) directly to events, neighborhoods, and locations without fixed storefronts. Targeted at local consumers and event organizers in the Missoula area.
Companies that use Big Dipper Ice Cream
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Big Dipper Ice Cream technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Big Dipper Ice Cream partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Big Dipper Ice Cream competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Big Dipper Ice Cream social profiles
Digital presenceBig Dipper Ice Cream financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Big Dipper Ice Cream leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Big Dipper Ice Cream funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Big Dipper 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 Big Dipper Ice Cream
What does Big Dipper Ice Cream do?
Big Dipper Ice Cream produces and sells handcrafted, small-batch ice cream made in-house since 1995. Offerings are served through four permanent Montana storefronts and one mobile ice cream truck ("Coneboy") in formats including cones, sundaes, shakes, floats, and pre-packaged pints and quarts, with rotating specialty flavors such as Huckleberry, Cardamom Black Coffee, and Matcha Green Tea. Supporting products include sorbet and both physical and electronic gift cards.
Is Big Dipper Ice Cream a public or private company?
Big Dipper Ice Cream is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Big Dipper Ice Cream founded?
Big Dipper Ice Cream was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Big Dipper Ice Cream based?
Big Dipper Ice Cream is headquartered in Missoula, Montana, United States, in the North America region.
How does Big Dipper Ice Cream make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Retail Ice Cream Sales are the primary driver. The others are gift Cards.
Does Big Dipper Ice Cream have an API?
No public API is recorded for Big Dipper Ice Cream.
What industry is Big Dipper Ice Cream in?
Big Dipper Ice Cream's product category is Artisanal Ice Cream. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAGAA, Ice Cream & Gelato Shops, with a secondary code of THAFAHAG, Mobile Dessert Vendors (Ice Cream/Dessert Trucks & Carts). Its NAICS code is 311520 and its SIC code is 2024.