Dreyer's
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Holdings, Inc. | |
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| Type | Subsidiary |
| Founded | 1928 |
| Headquarters | Oakland, California, USA |
| Key people | Tim Kahn, CEO |
| Industry | Foods |
| Revenue | ▲$1.588 billion USD (2004) |
| Website | www.dreyers.com |
Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Holdings, Inc., a division of Nestlé, is a United States-based producer of ice cream and frozen yogurt. Its products are marketed under the Dreyer's name in the western United States and Texas, and under the Edy's name in the rest of the U.S.
The company was founded in 1928 by William Dreyer and Joseph Edy in Oakland, California. Its shares were publicly traded on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol DRYR.
In June 2002 Nestlé acquired 67% of Dreyer's.[1] In January 2006 it took full ownership of the company, thus becoming the world's biggest ice cream maker, with a 17.5% market share.[2] Dreyer's has also acquired its own ice cream brands, including the Snelgrove's Ice Cream brand in Utah.
In 2002, Nestle insisted on a smaller container to increase profits and so the standard 2 quart container (4 pints) was down sized to 1.75 quarts (3.5 pints) container. In May 2008, the 1.75 quart container was further down sized to 1.5 quarts (3 pints). Other ice cream industry followed the down sizing move.
In 2004, Dreyer's began using a new churning processes called low-temperature extrusion.[3] Unlike traditional churning methods, the ice cream does not need to be frozen once it is done churning. Since this freezing stage produces large ice crystals, which gives the ice cream a grainy texture, manufacturers would add milkfat to counterbalance the grainy texture. As this extra freezing process isn't necessary with low-temperature extrusion, the "slow churned" line of ice cream is labeled as containing two-thirds the calories and half the fat of "regular" ice cream. Other manufacturers (such as Häagen-Dazs) have already followed suit and introduced "light" varieties using low-temperature extrusion.
Dreyers is often confused with Breyers, a Unilever brand, which has led to a popular misconception that it is an imitation or knock-off brand, or vice-versa.
[edit] References
- ^ "Nestle buys US ice cream firm", BBC News, June 17, 2002.
- ^ "Nestle takes world ice cream lead", BBC News, January 19, 2006.
- ^ Julia Moskin, "Creamy, Healthier Ice Cream? What’s the Catch?", The New York Times, July 26, 2006.
