National Ice Cream Month: A Look at the Brands, Trends & Strategies Shaping Frozen Desserts
Family-owned manufacturers, emerging flavors, facility modernization and new routes to market underscore the resilience and creativity driving today's ice cream industry.
Ice Cream consists of a mixture of dairy ingredients such as milk and nonfat milk, and ingredients for sweetening and flavoring, such as fruits, nuts and chocolate chips. By federal law, ice cream must contain at least 10% milkfat, before the addition of bulky ingredients, and must weigh a minimum of 4.5 pounds to the gallon.
Last year, U.S. ice cream makers produced over 1.2 billion gallons and accounted for over $11.5 billion in economic impact, including thousands of jobs. Many ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturers are family owned, with the majority in business over 50 years, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.
Thanks to President Ronald Reagan, we celebrate National Ice Cream Day on the third Sunday in July, meaning July 19 this year!
In 1984, Reagan decreed a day for ice cream, and also proclaimed July as National Ice Cream month, describing the frozen treat as "a nutritious and wholesome food enjoyed by over 90% of the people in the United States."
According to IDFA's 2026 Ice Cream & Frozen Novelty Trends Survey, Chocolate is America's flavor of choice in ice cream, followed by Butter Pecan and Vanilla.
Rounding out the top 10 are: Cookies and Cream/Oreo; Caramel/Salted Caramel; Brownie; Chocolate Chip; Cookie Dough; Birthday Cake and Mint Chocolate Chip. State-by-state flavor favorites can be found here
In honor of this icon, here's a look at some of R&FF's recent coverage of ice cream and frozen novelties.
Launching the first Dubai Chocolate Style Mochi Ice Cream in the U.S., My/Mochi has created its own version of the viral trend - creamy pistachio flavored ice cream, crunchy kadayif made from Turkish phyllo dough and chocolatey bits wrapped in chocolate flavored mochi dough. At only 80 calories, it also featured packaging different than the traditional purple My/Mochi box. Image courtesy My/Mochi
Inside the Innovation with My/Mochi
My/Mochi is proving that global inspiration, social media trends and cross-functional execution can come together quickly—and successfully—in the frozen novelty aisle.
The brand’s Dubai Chocolate Style Mochi ice cream, recently earned first-place in Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Best New Retail Products contest, reflecting both disciplined R&D and a willingness to push boundaries.
"My mochi is all about bringing joy to consumers," said Brigette Wolf, chief marketing officer. "It’s premium scoops of ice cream wrapped in a soft, sweet dough … a handheld snack … this multi-texture of the chewy dough and then the creamy ice cream."
From there, the team looks to layer in flavor inspiration that feels both novel and accessible. "It’s always been about how we bring a mochi experience of something familiar," Wolf said, pointing to the balance between everyday indulgence and global exploration.
Watch more in this video podcast.
While the overall footprint of the facility is still the same, the internal layout is more efficient and safer. The rebuilt facility has allowed Gifford’s to expand its year-round pint line, adding three flavors. Image courtesy of Gifford's Ice Cream
From Fire to Full Capacity: Gifford’s Ice Cream Rebuilds for the Future
After a devastating 2023 fire, the family business returns to full production with a redesigned facility focused on flow, flexibility and long-term growth.
More than two years after a fire devastated its Skowhegan, Maine, production facility, Gifford’s Ice Cream is back at full capacity and producing in a rebuilt plant designed specifically for the future of its business.
On a recent episode of From the Cold Corner, Gifford’s Ice Cream CEO Lindsay Skilling and COO JC Gifford detailed the company’s journey from emergency response and temporary production to a new ultramodern facility that improves flow, adds flexibility and positions the business for growth.
"After the fire, for a full year, we were without production in Skowhegan, Maine," said JC Gifford. "On February 3, 2024, a year and a day after the fire, we were able to produce a limited capacity" from a temporary setup that represented "roughly 15-20% of what our old footprint was."
That temporary operation kept product moving but came with clear limitations, including relying on co-manufacturers for part of their inventory and temporarily discontinuing certain flavors.
Listen to more in the podcast.
Serendipity’s new “I Said I Love Blue First” ice cream bars are now available.
Image courtesy Serendipity/Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez's Serendipity Debuts DTC 'I Said I Love Blue First' Ice Cream Bars
Serendipity, the ultra-premium treat brand co-owned by artist and entrepreneur Selena Gomez, and Gopuff, the leading instant commerce platform, announced the next phase of their partnership with the launch of a new, exclusive frozen treat.
Launched in honor of the first anniversary of the album, the new bars feature a creamy blue vanilla bean base swirled with fudge and cookie bits, coated in a premium blue chocolate candy shell.
Priced at $7.49 per 4-bar box, these delicious treats bring the whimsical magic of Serendipity directly to doorsteps across the country via Gopuff.
“I wanted to create something special to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the album and these bars felt like the perfect way,” Gomez said. “Serendipity has always been associated with moments of joy and partnering with Gopuff lets us deliver that feeling straight to your doorstep. This collaboration means so much to me, and I can’t wait for everyone to taste this new flavor."
Wells Enterprises, the largest privately held ice cream manufacturer in the United States, and Ferrero NA debuted three ice cream candy bars nationwide, bringing multisensory candy snacks to the frozen aisle. Image Courtesy Wells Enterprises
Candy Bars Come to the Frozen Aisle
Indulgence is evolving and that shift is hitting the freezer aisle: Wells Enterprises and Ferrero North America launched Butterfinger Ice Cream Candy Bar, Baby Ruth Ice Cream Candy Bar and 100 Grand Ice Cream Candy Bar nationwide, bringing candy bar texture to real ice cream.
"The ice cream bar category has long been defined by simplicity, including smooth coatings, uniform textures, and straightforward formats," said Isabella Chia, chief marketing officer at Wells Enterprises. "With Butterfinger, Baby Ruth and 100 Grand, we didn't just translate a candy bar into a frozen format. We engineered each bar from the inside out, starting with the texture that made those candies iconic and building up from there with real ice cream and quality ingredients that deliver on every bite."
The bars are available in the frozen treat aisle at retailers nationwide in a pack of six at a suggested retail price of $5.99.
Across generation, waffle cones or regular bowls are preferred (GenZ: 32%; Millennials: 27%; GenX: 29%; Boomers: 32%). GenZers are divided between preferring bowls (17%) and waffle bowls (14%), according to the IDFA’s 2026 Ice Cream Survey. Image courtesy MPstudio / Creatas Video+ / Getty Images Plus
Other ice cream news includes an announcement by Mini Melts USA and The Magnum Ice Cream Company to bring frozen treats to consumers through an expanded network of automated distribution across the United States.
As part of the agreement, Mini Melts USA will operate Magnum-branded vending machines nationwide, helping advance the frozen dessert company's out-of-home growth strategy.
The machines will offer products from Magnum's portfolio, including Good Humor novelty bars and Ben & Jerry's ice cream pints, leveraging Mini Melts’ vending infrastructure, operations and distribution.
Plus, Alden’s Organic, Hudsonville, Prairie Farms, Perry’s, Tillamook and more have released new flavors this summer. You can see all the LTOs and latest new releases in ice cream and frozen novelties here.
Still hungry for more? Take our 10-question quiz to check your ice cream IQ!
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