Who Makes Kroger‘s Ice Cream in 2024?
As one of America‘s favorite treats, ice cream is a huge business worth over $30 billion annually. With demand high, grocery chains like Kroger need robust ice cream production capabilities. This article will explore how Kroger makes its own ice cream to stock freezer aisles across the country.
Kroger Operates Large-Scale Ice Cream Production
While some store brands use third-party manufacturers, Kroger makes its own ice cream at specialized facilities like the Springdale Ice Cream & Beverage plant.
With 14 production lines churning out 200,000 gallons daily, the Kroger Springdale factory has immense production capacity. Technological investments like automated inspection and packaging equipment also boost output.
Across all its 40 manufacturing plants, Kroger can produce 800,000 gallons of ice cream per day according to internal data. That‘s 292 million gallons yearly – enough to fill a lake nearly 2 football fields in size!
Carefully Controlled Process for Quality and Safety
To ensure quality and safety, Kroger controls every step of ice cream manufacturing:
Ingredient sourcing: Kroger sources milk, cream, and other dairy components from regional farmers and its own dairy plants.
Pasteurization: Dairy ingredients are heat-treated to kill bacteria before ice cream processing.
Mixing: Under controlled conditions, the ingredients are blended and emulsified into ice cream mix.
Aging: The mix is aged in tanks to allow flavors to fully develop.
Freezing: The mix is frozen and whipped continuously as it‘s piped through the freezers.
Packaging: Kroger‘s high-speed lines fill, seal, and label finished ice cream products.
Food safety testing: Samples from every batch undergo microbiological and quality tests before shipping.
This end-to-end control allows Kroger to deliver exceptionally creamy ice cream true to labeled flavors.
Kroger Ice Cream Offers Excellent Value
Independent taste tests rank Kroger Deluxe ice cream close to major national brands. And Kroger‘s everyday low pricing beats most competitors.
| Brand | Average Price per Gallon |
|---|---|
| Kroger Deluxe | $4.99 |
| Blue Bell | $6.49 |
| Ben & Jerry‘s | $6.99 |
| Häagen-Dazs | $7.49 |
With frequent promotions like "buy one, get one free", Kroger ice cream offers outstanding value. This makes it accessible for shoppers on tight budgets.
Most Popular Flavors
Simple flavors remain customer favorites, with vanilla accounting for 29% of Kroger‘s ice cream sales. Chocolate comes in second at 19%, followed by Neapolitan at 11%.
Some of the most sought-after flavors include:
- Private Selection Belgian Chocolate: Rich dark chocolate ice cream loaded with chocolate shavings.
- Simple Truth Organic Vanilla Bean: Madagascar vanilla beans give this all-natural ice cream its ultra-creamy flavor.
- Deluxe Oregon Strawberry: Bursting with juicy strawberry flavor made from Pacific Northwest berries.
New flavors also generate buzz. Kroger recently launched a Limited Batch collection featuring unique varieties like honey lemon ginger and cake batter cookie dough.
Outlook for Kroger Ice Cream
As one of the largest US ice cream producers, Kroger is well-positioned to benefit from rising demand. The ice cream market is projected to expand steadily at a CAGR of 5% from 2022-2025 according to DataFactory estimates.
With its competitive pricing, constantly updated selections, and manufacturing scale, Kroger ice cream will continue delighting customers into the future. The next time ice cream cravings hit, Kroger‘s freezer aisle offers quality and value worth scooping up.
