Edgar Joseph Group

What Edgar Joseph Group does

The Edgar Joseph Group (EJG) is a family-owned food manufacturing and distribution company headquartered at 387 Chestnut Avenue NE in Warren, Ohio, founded in 2021 as the manufacturing and distribution arm of the Hoover family's restaurant group. EJG manufactures and exclusively distributes Cockeye Creamery super premium ice cream and frozen desserts, producing approximately 10,000 gallons in 2023 from its prior Parkman Road facility before relocating production in January 2024 to a new 12,000-20,000 square foot state-of-the-art manufacturing plant with dedicated clean room production. The company sells through wholesale B2B distribution to grocery retailers including Giant Eagle locations in Liberty, Niles, and Calcutta, plus other Mahoning Valley and Cleveland-area grocers, and operates its own dedicated fleet of freezer trucks for temperature-controlled delivery. The broader Hoover family portfolio includes the flagship Cockeye BBQ restaurant (opened 2015), the Cockeye Creamery storefront (opened 2019), and a planned Franky's Pizzeria and Delicatessen slated to open in September 2024. EJG is an Ohio Proud program partner focused on local sourcing, with leadership comprising founder Erik Hoover, CFO and plant manager Max Hoover, and COO Ben Hoover.

Revenue mechanics are entirely physical-goods based: wholesale B2B ice cream sales quote-based to grocery and retail partners (no public pricing disclosed), supplemented by restaurant revenue from Cockeye BBQ and the Cockeye Creamery storefront. The go-to-market motion is sales-led wholesale with a dedicated wholesale application portal on the company website, complemented by local earned media coverage (WKBN, WFMJ, Casey Malone Show) and community open house events. The company employs 3 full-time staff currently with plans to grow to approximately 20 over the next several years to support scaling capacity.

Name

Edgar Joseph Group

Legal name

The Edgar Joseph Group

Website

https://edgarjosephgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Edgar Joseph Group is a family-owned food manufacturer and distributor based in Warren, Ohio that produces and exclusively distributes Cockeye Creamery super premium ice cream to grocery retailers across the Mahoning Valley and Cleveland regions via its own dedicated fleet of freezer trucks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ice Cream Manufacturing

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (31152)

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

• Ice cream manufacturing
• Frozen desserts
• Foodservice distribution
• Wholesale distribution
• Clean room production

Headquarters

HQ city

Warren

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Ice Cream Manufacturing and Distribution: Manufacturing super premium ice cream and frozen desserts through their state-of-the-art facility, with distribution to retail and foodservice customers
2. Wholesale Distribution: B2B wholesale distribution of Cockeye Creamery ice cream products to grocery stores and retail partners

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Edgar Joseph Group (EJG) manufactures and distributes super premium ice cream and frozen desserts under the Cockeye Creamery brand through its state-of-the-art production facility in Warren, Ohio. The company operates dedicated clean room production capabilities and a fleet of freezer trucks that deliver ice cream at controlled temperatures to grocery retailers and foodservice customers across Ohio.

Product overview

Edgar Joseph Group (EJG) operates as a food manufacturing and distribution company with a portfolio of restaurant brands. The core product is Cockeye Creamery super premium ice cream and frozen desserts, which EJG manufactures at its state-of-the-art facility and distributes exclusively. The company also operates Cockeye BBQ (flagship barbecue restaurant opened in 2015) and has planned expansion with Franky's Pizzeria and Delicatessen. Youngstown Coffee Company is co-located at the manufacturing facility. The company serves retail grocery customers through wholesale distribution and operates dedicated freezer truck delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cockeye Creamery: Super premium ice cream and frozen desserts. Products distributed by EJG and available in Mahoning Valley grocery stores and locations in Cleveland.
• Cockeye BBQ
• Franky's Pizzeria and Delicatessen

Products and services

• Cockeye Creamery Super Premium Ice Cream Super premium ice cream and frozen desserts produced at the company's manufacturing facility and distributed exclusively through EJG to grocery retailers and foodservice customers.
• Cockeye BBQ Flagship barbecue restaurant on Warren's westside, part of the Hoover family's restaurant group.
• EJG Manufacturing and Distribution Services Ice cream manufacturing and foodservice distribution division founded in 2021 as the manufacturing and distribution arm of the Hoover family restaurant group.

Quantifiable outcome

• Production capacity increased from 10,000 gallons to support significant growth

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ohio Proud ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023EJG and Cockeye Creamery are dedicated partners of the Ohio Proud program, demonstrating commitment to Ohio-sourced products and local agricultural partnerships.
• Youngstown Coffee CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShared manufacturing space arrangement at the Chestnut Avenue facility. Youngstown Coffee Company relocated from Boardman Plaza to the EJG facility as they outgrew their previous space.
• Trumbull Neighborhood PartnershipminorOthersBuilding for new restaurant project (Franky's Pizzeria) was purchased through Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership in June 2023.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Jeni's is a direct peer: a super-premium, small-batch ice cream maker with a strong regional brand, retail pint distribution, and wholesale to grocery. EJG's Cockeye Creamery competes in the same super-premium retail pint category.
• Graeter's Ice Cream: Graeter's is a family-owned, super-premium ice cream manufacturer with grocery distribution across the Midwest. Comparable to Cockeye Creamery on heritage, super-premium positioning, and regional grocery channel focus.
• Oberweis Dairy: Oberweis is a family-owned regional dairy with home delivery and retail distribution of ice cream and dairy products. Comparable as a vertically integrated, family-operated regional dairy business with a dedicated distribution fleet.
• Turkey Hill Dairy: Turkey Hill is a regional dairy and ice cream manufacturer with grocery distribution in the Midwest and East Coast. Comparable business model as a regional brand with strong retail relationships in the same geographies EJG is targeting.
• Salt & Straw Ice Cream: Salt & Straw is a craft super-premium ice cream brand with grocery pint distribution and brand-led storytelling. Highly comparable on positioning, scale, and DTC-plus-grocery go-to-market.

Regional players

• Penn State Berkey Creamery: Berkey Creamery is a regional super-premium ice cream maker with strong grocery and campus distribution in the Mid-Atlantic. Comparable as a regionally anchored, brand-led super-premium ice cream manufacturer.
• Mitchell's Ice Cream: Mitchell's is a San Francisco Bay Area super-premium ice cream maker with regional grocery and scoop shop distribution. Comparable on craft super-premium positioning and family/independent operator profile, though concentrated in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Tillamook County Creamery Association: Tillamook is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative with a broad portfolio including ice cream and frozen desserts sold nationally in grocery. Comparable as a mission-driven, farmer-owned dairy brand with super-premium positioning, though broader in scale and product line.
• Wells Enterprises (Blue Bunny): Wells Enterprises is one of the largest U.S. ice cream manufacturers (Blue Bunny, Halo Top, Bomb Pop). Comparable broadly as a U.S. frozen dessert manufacturer competing for grocery freezer space.
• Häagen-Dazs (Nestlé): Häagen-Dazs is the established super-premium ice cream brand owned by Nestlé, with broad grocery and foodservice distribution. Comparable as a premium ice cream incumbent against which Cockeye Creamery will compete for shelf space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/edgar-joseph-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Edgar Joseph Group