Breyers#Ice cream

{{about|the ice cream brand|the brand of model horses|Breyer Animal Creations|the singular for the plural|Breyer (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox brand

| name =

| logo = File:Breyers logo.svg

| logo_size = 200

| logo_caption = Brand logo

| producttype = Frozen dessert

| currentowner = Unilever

| country = United States

| introduced = {{start date and age|1866}}

| previousowners = Kraft Foods Inc.

| trademarkregistrations =

| website = {{url|breyers.com}}

}}

Breyers is an ice cream and frozen dessert brand with headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.{{cite web |title=Breyers |url=https://www.unileverusa.com/brands/ice-cream/breyers/ |publisher=Unilever |access-date=19 November 2024 |date=2024}} Since 1993, Breyers has been owned and managed by the British conglomerate, Unilever.{{cite web|title=About Breyers History|url=https://www.breyers.com/us/en/about.html|publisher=Breyers|date=2024|access-date=19 November 2024}} Founded in 1866, Breyers is the oldest manufacturer of ice cream in the United States.{{cite web|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Good-HumorBreyers-Ice-Cream-Company-Company-History.html |title=History of Good Humor-Breyers Ice Cream Company|website=Fundinguniverse.com|publisher=Unilever|date=1996 |access-date=September 10, 2018}}

Breyers makes ice cream and frozen dairy desserts.{{Cite web |last=Riddle |first=Holly |date=2 February 2023 |title=The Untold Truth Of Breyers |url=https://www.mashed.com/339136/the-untold-truth-of-breyers/ |access-date=2024-11-13 |publisher=Mashed |language=en-US}} Its products range from traditional dairy desserts to those for specialty diet concerns, such as sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.

Breyers is one of the ten best-selling ice cream brands globally,{{cite news |last=Ziady |first=Hanna|title= Ben & Jerry's and Magnum will form the core of an $8 billion ice cream company|url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/19/food/unilever-ice-cream-spinoff-ben-jerrys/index.html |access-date=18 November 2024 |work=CNN |date=19 March 2024}} and was fourth among American brands in 2022 with sales of $498 million.{{cite web |last=Berk |first=Brian |title=2022 State of the Industry: Ice cream category sees bright future ahead |url=https://www.dairyfoods.com/articles/95998-2022-state-of-the-industry-ice-cream-category-sees-bright-future-ahead |publisher=Dairy Foods |access-date=19 November 2024 |date=22 November 2022}}

History

File:Breyer ice cream truck newspaper.png

In 1866, William A. Breyer began to produce and sell ice cream in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.{{cite book|first=Amy|last=Ettinger|title=Sweet Spot: An Ice Cream Binge Across America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jBBGDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA15|date=27 June 2017|publisher=Penguin Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-101-98420-8|page=15}} Breyers is the oldest manufacturer of ice cream in the United States.{{cite web |last=Braun Davison |first=Candace |date=9 August 2016 |title=11 Things You Should Know Before Buying Breyers Ice Cream |url=https://www.delish.com/food-news/g3540/things-you-should-know-before-buying-breyers-ice-cream/ |access-date=13 November 2024 |publisher=Delish}} The ice cream was originally hand-cranked and made from cream, sugar, fruit, and nuts. He first sold it to his neighbors from his home, and later via horse and wagon on the streets of Philadelphia as demand for the product grew. By 1882, Breyer had five ice cream shops and a delivery service for the product. He opened a wholesale manufacturing plant in 1896.

Breyer's Ice Cream Company was incorporated in 1908.{{cite news |title=Breyers Ice Cream sign salesman's catalog, 1948 |url=https://archives.lib.duke.edu/catalog/breyerscatalog |access-date=26 November 2024 |publisher=Duke University Library}} By 1918, the company produced one million gallons of ice cream annually.

Breyer's Ice Cream Company was sold to the National Dairy Products Corporation/Sealtest in 1926.{{Cite news|url=https://apnews.com/91f158124296f2a3cbc1a5b80e61e49b|title=Ice Cream Factory Closing After 128 Years; 240 Jobs Melting Away|last=Ivey|first=Dave|work=The Associated Press|access-date=2019-08-08}} In 1930, National Dairy Products purchased the company that later become known as Kraft in 1976.{{Cite web |last=Riddle |first=Holly |date=2 February 2023 |title=The Untold Truth Of Breyers |url=https://www.mashed.com/339136/the-untold-truth-of-breyers/ |access-date=2024-11-13 |publisher=Mashed |language=en-US}} Kraft sold its ice cream brands to Unilever in 1993.{{cite book |last1=Goff |first1=H. Douglas |last2=Hartel |first2=Richard W. |title=Ice Cream |date=2013 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-1-4614-6096-1 |page=12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AWJDAAAAQBAJ&q=breyers |access-date=July 25, 2024 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Unilever to Gain Breyers In Kraft Ice Cream Deal |last=Janofsky |first=Michael |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/09/business/company-news-unilever-to-gain-breyers-in-kraft-ice-cream-deal.html |work=The New York Times |date=September 9, 1993 |accessdate=July 12, 2024}}

In 1993, Unilever merged the Breyers ice cream brand with Gold Bond and Good Humor ice cream to create the Good Humor-Breyers division. Unilever closed its last Breyers plant in Philadelphia in 1995. The Good Humor-Breyers headquarters were moved from Green Bay, Wisconsin and Oakville, Ontario to Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey and Toronto in 2007.{{cite news |title=One Unilever|url=https://www.cspdailynews.com/snacks-candy/one-unilever |work=CSP Daily News |date=16 October 2007 |access-date=2 December 2024}}

In 2013, Unilever introduced frozen dairy desserts, made with additional ingredients and less butterfat, having created this category to provide low-calorie products. The main difference in the new products was lower fat content. US federal regulations require ice cream products with less than 10% butterfat and milk solids to be labeled as frozen dairy dessert instead of ice cream.{{cite web |title=Frozen Desserts, Subpart B - Requirements for Specific Standardized Frozen Desserts (updated 30 August 2024) |url=https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=135&showFR=1&subpartNode=21:2.0.1.1.26.2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607141745/https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=135&showFR=1&subpartNode=21:2.0.1.1.26.2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 June 2020 |publisher=Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, US Food and Drug Administration |access-date=8 January 2025 |date=3 February 1978}} The new desserts provoked complaints from customers who preferred the brand's all-natural ice cream products.{{cite news |last=Barry |first=Dan |title=Ice Cream's Identity Crisis |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/dining/remembering-when-breyers-ice-cream-was-you-know-ice-cream.html |access-date=18 November 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=15 April 2013}}

=Market=

Part of the $8.6 billion Unilever ice cream group,{{cite web |title=Our Compass Organisation: introducing Unilever's five new Business Groups |url=https://www.unilever.com/news/news-search/2022/our-compass-organisation-introducing-unilevers-five-new-business-groups/ |publisher=Unilever |access-date=2 December 2024 |date=7 October 2022}} Breyers is among the world's top-10 most valued ice cream brands.{{cite news |last=Ziady |first=Hanna |title=This company conquered the ice cream market. Home delivery is the final frontier |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/14/business/unilever-ice-cream/index.html |access-date=2 December 2024 |work=CNN |date=10 November 2020}} With $498 million in sales in 2022, Breyers was fourth among American brands. In 2024, Unilever announced it would sell Breyers and its other ice cream brands by the end of 2025.

Products

Breyers markets its frozen desserts as either "original ice cream" or "frozen dairy dessert".{{Cite web |last=Demas |first=Alex |date=21 May 2024 |title=Claims That Breyers Doesn't Sell 'Real' Ice Cream Are False |url=https://thedispatch.com/article/claims-that-breyers-doesnt-sell-real-ice-cream-are-false/ |access-date=2024-11-10 |publisher=The Dispatch |language=en-US}}{{cite web |date=2024 |title=Breyers - All Flavors |url=https://www.breyers.com/us/en/products.html |access-date=19 November 2024 |publisher=Breyers}} Some 60% of Breyers products are ice cream and 40% are frozen dairy desserts.

Breyers manufactures products for consumers with specialty diets, such as sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, non-GMO, lactose-free, and "CarbSmart" for people preferring low-carbohydrate desserts.

Breyers groups its products in three flavor categories that include Classics (made with milk, cream, and natural colors and flavors), Better For You desserts (manufactured to be low in calories with lower carbohydrate content and no sugar added for flavor), and Cookies & Candies (which contain pieces of cookies or branded candies).

=Ice cream=

Breyers ice cream products are made from milk, cream, sugar, tara gum, and flavors derived from natural sources, such as vanilla.

=Frozen dairy dessert=

Breyers frozen dairy desserts are manufactured with skim milk, corn syrup (or maltitol syrup), sugar or a sugar substitute, polydextrose, glycerin, and various other ingredients that may include whey, carob bean gum, guar gum, carrageenan, and added micronutrients.{{cite web |title=Birthday Blast, Breyers Frozen Dairy Dessert per 100 g|url=https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2030771/nutrients |publisher=FoodData Central, US Department of Agriculture |access-date=13 November 2024 |date=28 October 2021}}

Confusion with Dreyer's

In the Western United States, Breyers ice cream may be confused with Dreyer's ice cream, the company cofounded by William Dreyer and Joseph Edy as Edy's Grand Ice Cream in 1928 in Oakland, California.{{cite news |last=Gellene |first=Denise |title=East vs. West in Ice Cream Fight: Breyers' Attempt to Scoop Dreyer's Breeds Confusion |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-19-fi-11910-story.html |access-date=25 June 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=June 19, 1986}}{{cite web|url=https://www.icecream.com/us/en/brands/dreyers/our-story |title=Dreyer's: Our Story |website=IceCream.com|date=2023 |access-date=September 10, 2018}} The root of the confusion dates to 1948 when the Edy's Grand Ice Cream name was changed to "Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream". Seeking to eliminate the confusion, Dreyer's changed its brand name in the home market of Breyers from "Dreyer's Grand" back to "Edy's Grand" in 1977, while retaining the Dreyer's brand west of the Rocky Mountains. Around that same time, Breyers had expanded its market into the western United States—the home market of Dreyer's—and by the mid-1980s, was distributing ice cream throughout the region.