MSU Dairy Store
MSU Dairy Store is a university-operated retail ice cream shop inside Anthony Hall at Michigan State University, with a mobile campus trailer, serving the MSU community through walk-in retail, catering, and an online Shopify gift card and coupon store.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersEast Lansing, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What MSU Dairy Store does
MSU Dairy Store is a university-operated retail ice cream shop located inside Anthony Hall on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. The store produces and sells handcrafted ice cream in approximately 13 rotating seasonal flavors alongside a small hot-food menu, branded merchandise, gift cards, and scoop coupons. A second point of distribution is operated via a mobile trailer stationed outside MSU's Union building. All transactions are conducted cashless, accepting card payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and store-issued gift cards and coupons.
The operation is owned and run by Michigan State University as a state-affiliated unit rather than as a separately incorporated entity, and employs approximately 12 staff. The underlying technology stack is minimal and conventional: a standard retail point-of-sale system for the storefront and trailer, plus a Shopify-powered e-commerce site that supports online purchase of gift cards and scoop coupons. There is no disclosed proprietary technology, no manufacturing automation beyond typical batch ice cream production, and no digital ordering integration beyond the Shopify storefront.
Revenue is generated through multiple channels: direct walk-in retail sales of scoops, cones, and cups (scoops priced at $4.25 and 5-pack coupons at approximately $22.25), catering for weddings and events, large group pre-orders for parties of 20 or more, MSU Account billing for university departments, and online gift card and coupon sales. The primary customer base is the on-campus MSU community — students, faculty, staff, alumni, and campus visitors — supplemented by event clients for catering. Demand is tied to the academic calendar and to campus foot traffic, with continued service maintained through a recent construction period affecting the surrounding area.
MSU Dairy Store firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MSU Dairy Store
- Legal name
- MSU Dairy Store
- Website
- https://dairystore.msu.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- MSU Dairy Store is a university-operated retail ice cream shop inside Anthony Hall at Michigan State University, with a mobile campus trailer, serving the MSU community through walk-in retail, catering, and an online Shopify gift card and coupon store.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MSU Dairy Store industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Ice Cream Retail
- NAICS
- Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (31152), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115)
- SIC
- Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024), Dairy Products (2020)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ice Cream & Frozen Dairy Wholesale (AFAIAEAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Consumer Packaged Fluid Milk (White Milk) Processing (AFAHAAAA)
Keywords
Where MSU Dairy Store is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- East Lansing
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
MSU Dairy Store business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail Ice Cream Sales: Direct sales of ice cream scoops, cones, and cups to walk-in customers at the physical storefront location and mobile trailer. Unit-based pricing per item or scoop.
- Gift Cards and Coupons: Sale of gift cards ($10 and $25 denominations) and scoop coupons (single scoop cards and 5-packs) that can be redeemed for ice cream at a later date.
- Catering Services: Event catering services for weddings, grad parties, showers, and celebrations, providing MSU Dairy Store ice cream as a unique addition to various events.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of Dairy Store branded merchandise including apparel and promotional items.
- MSU Account Orders: Sales to Michigan State University departments and affiliated entities using MSU Account funding for official university events and gatherings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single Scoop Cards - $4.25 per card |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 5-Pack Single Scoop Coupons - $22.25 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | $10 Gift Card - $11.00 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | $25 Gift Card - $26.00 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels4 records
MSU Dairy Store product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MSU Dairy Store is a university-affiliated retail ice cream and dairy shop that produces and sells handcrafted ice cream in rotating seasonal and specialty flavors on the Michigan State University campus. The store operates a physical storefront inside Anthony Hall and a mobile ice cream trailer outside The Union building, complemented by online sales of gift cards and scoop coupons, hot food menu items, event catering services, and institutional MSU Account ordering.
Product overview
MSU Dairy Store is a single-location ice cream retail operation located inside Anthony Hall on Michigan State University's campus. The store offers handcrafted ice cream in rotating seasonal flavors, with a current lineup of 13 varieties including chocolate, vanilla, and specialty flavors. The product portfolio includes gift cards and scoop coupons sold through their Shopify-powered e-commerce platform. Additional offerings include hot food items, catering services for events, large group pre-orders, and MSU Account ordering. The store also operates a mobile ice cream trailer on campus. The Dairy Store is cashless, accepting credit/debit cards, Apple Pay/Google Pay, and their own gift cards and scoop coupons.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- MSU Dairy Store Ice Cream (Handcrafted Flavors)
Companies that use MSU Dairy Store
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
MSU Dairy Store technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature1 record
MSU Dairy Store partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
MSU Dairy Store competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Penn State Berkey Creamery: University-operated dairy/ice cream retail store at Penn State, producing and selling ice cream and cheese on campus. Directly comparable in mission, product mix, and captive student customer base to MSU Dairy Store.
- Babcock Hall Dairy (University of Wisconsin-Madison): UW-Madison's on-campus dairy store and ice cream shop, producing and retailing its own branded ice cream. Same model: university-operated manufacturing + retail storefront serving a campus community.
- Ohio State University Dairy (Waterman Dairy): OSU's on-campus dairy and ice cream operation, retailing university-produced dairy products to students and visitors. Comparable university-owned processing-plus-retail model.
- Cornell Dairy Bar: Cornell University's campus dairy bar selling Cornell-made ice cream and dairy products. Direct peer in the university-dairy-store category with analogous retail and production structure.
- University of Vermont Dairy Bar: UVM-operated campus dairy bar producing and selling ice cream and dairy products. Direct peer in the university dairy retail category with similar gift shop and seasonal offerings.
- Cal Poly Creamery: California Polytechnic State University's student-run/on-campus creamery producing and retailing ice cream and dairy products. Comparable campus-based dairy production and retail operation.
Broad incumbents
- Wells Enterprises (Blue Bunny): Large-scale U.S. ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturer. Comparable in ice cream/frozen dessert product category, though operates as a national packaged-goods player rather than a single-location retail operator.
- Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Premium scoop shop chain with a sizable retail footprint and direct-to-consumer pint business. Comparable in premium, flavor-forward ice cream positioning and DTC retail model, though operates at much larger scale and beyond campus.
- Häagen-Dazs Shops: Established national ice cream scoop shop brand. Comparable in retail ice cream scoop/cone product offering, though lacks the captive university traffic and proprietary on-site production of MSU Dairy Store.
Emerging players
- Salt & Straw Ice Cream: Premium, story-driven scoop shop brand with rotating seasonal flavors. Comparable in emphasis on rotating signature flavors and a high-touch retail experience, though focused on urban markets rather than captive campus audiences.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks7 records
Customer concentration
MSU Dairy Store social profiles
Digital presenceMSU Dairy Store financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MSU Dairy Store leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
MSU Dairy Store funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MSU Dairy Store 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 MSU Dairy Store
What does MSU Dairy Store do?
MSU Dairy Store is a university-affiliated retail ice cream and dairy shop that produces and sells handcrafted ice cream in rotating seasonal and specialty flavors on the Michigan State University campus. The store operates a physical storefront inside Anthony Hall and a mobile ice cream trailer outside The Union building, complemented by online sales of gift cards and scoop coupons, hot food menu items, event catering services, and institutional MSU Account ordering.
Is MSU Dairy Store a public or private company?
MSU Dairy Store is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was MSU Dairy Store founded?
MSU Dairy Store was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is MSU Dairy Store based?
MSU Dairy Store is headquartered in East Lansing, United States, in the North America region.
How does MSU Dairy Store make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Retail Ice Cream Sales are the primary driver. The others are gift Cards and Coupons, catering Services, merchandise Sales and MSU Account Orders.
Who are MSU Dairy Store's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Penn State Berkey Creamery, Babcock Hall Dairy (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Ohio State University Dairy (Waterman Dairy), Cornell Dairy Bar, University of Vermont Dairy Bar and Cal Poly Creamery. Broad incumbents are Wells Enterprises (Blue Bunny), Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams and Häagen-Dazs Shops. Salt & Straw Ice Cream is listed as an emerging player.
Does MSU Dairy Store have an API?
No public API is recorded for MSU Dairy Store.
What industry is MSU Dairy Store in?
MSU Dairy Store's product category is Specialty Ice Cream Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAIAEAF, Ice Cream & Frozen Dairy Wholesale, with a secondary code of AFAHAAAA, Consumer Packaged Fluid Milk (White Milk) Processing. Its NAICS code is 31152 and its SIC code is 2024.