Klines Dairy Bar, Inc.

What Klines Dairy Bar, Inc. does

Klines Dairy Bar, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned ice cream retailer operating seven storefronts across Virginia. Founded in 1943 by John Kline in downtown Harrisonburg, the company now spans Chesterfield, Harrisonburg (Downtown and Main Street), McGaheysville, Lynchburg, Staunton, and Waynesboro. Each location is independently owned and operated by members of the Arehart and Peterson families. The business produces and sells custard-style ice cream, shakes, sundaes, and Italian Ice, with Hog Wild BBQ food offerings at the Staunton location and party pack catering for events at select sites.

The company's core product is built around an "almost obsolete" continuous freeze production method, in which each store makes its own ice cream fresh each morning without adding air during whipping. This slow, labor-intensive process yields a denser, creamier texture compared with soft-serve or batch methods, and the source positions it as a key differentiator against mass-market ice cream. Flavor rotation (weekly Flavor Forecast) and high-quality ingredients reinforce the premium positioning. Supporting products include Italian Ice (e.g., Cherry Limeade at Chesterfield), party pack catering in two sizes, and a branded merchandise line (Klines Gear) sold via the Inksoft e-commerce platform.

Klines generates revenue through four streams: in-store retail of ice cream and related desserts, food service (Hog Wild BBQ at Staunton), catering and party pack bulk orders for events, and merchandise. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through physical storefronts, augmented by location-specific Facebook and Instagram accounts, customer referrals, and a content marketing presence via the Flavor Forecast blog. Customer segments are local community consumers across each Virginia market, JMU students near the downtown Harrisonburg location, and event catering customers. The company is private with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and a small employee base of 11-50.

Name

Klines Dairy Bar, Inc.

Legal name

Klines Dairy Bar

Website

https://klinesdairybar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1943

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Klines Dairy Bar produces and sells fresh, custard-style ice cream through seven family-owned retail locations across Virginia, using an almost obsolete continuous freeze production method. Its customers are Virginia community residents, JMU students, and event catering buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Frozen Dessert Retail

NAICS

Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)

akta.pro primary industry

Soft-Serve & Custard Stands (THAFAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ice Cream, Frozen Desserts & Novelties Manufacturing (AFAKAKAE), Ice Cream & Refrigerated Desserts (CRADACAE)

Keywords

• Frozen custard ice cream
• Ice cream retail
• Italian Ice desserts
• Ice cream catering
• Frozen dessert retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Harrisonburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Retail: Direct retail sales of custard-style ice cream by the scoop, including shakes, sundaes, and Italian Ice. Each location produces fresh ice cream daily using the continuous freeze method. Revenue is generated through in-person purchases at storefronts.
2. Food Service: At the Staunton location, Hog Wild BBQ food offerings are available alongside ice cream, providing food service revenue.
3. Catering and Party Packs: Bulk ice cream orders for events including birthday parties, weddings, company events. Party packs available in regular (feeds 12-15) and large (feeds 20-25) sizes with customizable flavors and toppings.
4. Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise sold through an e-commerce storefront (Klines Gear via Inksoft platform).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Klines Dairy Bar produces and sells custard-style ice cream made fresh daily at each of its 7 Virginia retail locations using an almost obsolete continuous freeze production method that does not add extra air during whipping. The portfolio includes the core handcrafted ice cream served by the scoop, shakes, sundaes, and Italian Ice, plus Party Pack catering for events, Hog Wild BBQ food offerings at the Staunton location, and branded merchandise via an online store.

Product overview

Klines Dairy Bar operates as a multi-location family-owned ice cream business offering a single core product line: handcrafted custard-style ice cream made fresh daily using a continuous freeze production method. The portfolio includes the main ice cream product, Italian Ice as a non-dairy alternative, Party Pack catering services for events, and Klines Gear merchandise. All locations independently make fresh ice cream each morning, with flavors rotating weekly. The company operates seven retail locations across Virginia (Chesterfield, Downtown Harrisonburg, Main Street Harrisonburg, McGaheysville, Lynchburg, Staunton, and Waynesboro), each independently owned and operated by the Arehart and Peterson families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kline's Custard-Style Ice Cream Handcrafted custard-style ice cream made fresh daily at each location using a continuous freeze production method that does not add extra air, producing a denser and creamier texture than soft serve or batch-produced alternatives. Available in classic and rotating weekly flavors for walk-in consumers at 7 Virginia storefronts.
• Italian Ice

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Studio JWAL LLCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWebsite design partner responsible for the design of klinesdairybar.com. Studio JWAL LLC provides ongoing site design services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Salt & Straw: Premium artisanal ice cream scoop shop chain with rotating experimental flavors; comparable on small-batch premium positioning and direct retail scoop shop format.
• Ted Drewes Frozen Custard: St. Louis-based frozen custard stand operating for over 90 years; directly comparable as a heritage custard specialist with a regionally iconic retail footprint.
• Graeter's Ice Cream: Family-owned Cincinnati ice cream maker using a traditional small-batch French Pot process; direct comparable on traditional production method, multi-generational family ownership, and regional retail footprint.
• Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Premium artisanal ice cream scoop shop chain with multiple retail locations; comparable on premium positioning, rotating flavor innovation, and direct-to-consumer scoop shop model.
• Andy's Frozen Custard: Multi-state frozen custard chain founded on a traditional custard recipe; comparable as a scaled regional operator in the same frozen custard category as Kline's.
• Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream: Family-owned San Francisco Bay Area ice cream chain producing ice cream in-house using traditional methods; comparable on heritage family ownership and in-store production model.
• Handel's Homemade Ice Cream: Family-founded premium ice cream chain using traditional batch-freezing methods across multiple states; directly comparable on production philosophy, premium positioning, and family ownership.

Broad incumbents

• Häagen-Dazs Shops: National premium ice cream scoop shop brand owned by a large multinational; comparable as a branded premium scoop shop operator, but at much larger scale and with corporate ownership.
• Culver's: National QSR chain featuring frozen custard as a signature menu item; comparable as a larger established player operating broadly in the same frozen custard/frozen dessert category.

Others

• Wells Enterprises (Blue Bunny): Large-scale ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturer and brand owner; comparable as an industry participant in ice cream manufacturing and branded frozen desserts, though operating at vastly larger scale than Kline's in-store production.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/klinesdairybar
• Instagraminstagram.com/klineslynchburg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/klines-dairy-bar-inc.

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 Klines Dairy Bar, Inc.