Graeter's
Encyclopedia
Graeter's is a regional chain of shops offering ice cream
, baked goods, and candy
which originated in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1870. Their super premium
, thick ice cream has been featured on Food Network
, and has earned them many dedicated fans, including Oprah Winfrey
.
chips, a low melting temperature liquid chocolate is poured into the pot, and freezes into a thin shell on top of the ice cream. A worker uses a blade to break up this shell and mix it into the ice cream, resulting in Graeter's famous huge dark chewy chocolate chips.
Each batch of ice cream is only about two gallons (7.6 L
) and is thus very labor intensive. The resulting ice cream is so thick that it must be hand-packed into pint
s (473 mL). An article in The New York Times in 1997 explains that for reasons not understood, superior ice creams are made in batches of two gallons or less. In making that point, the article cited the example of Graeter's, which it said "is considered by most connoisseurs to be the finest ice cream in the world." The ice cream is sold in pint containers at Graeter's stores, and at food markets, including Giant Eagle
grocery and Meijer
; Kroger
, also a Cincinnati-based company, in the vicinity of Graeter's stores as well as in the Atlanta, Dallas–Fort Worth
, Houston
, Knoxville
and Raleigh
areas; King Soopers
stores (a division of Kroger) in Denver, Colorado; numerous Ralphs
(also a division of Kroger) locations in California
; Highlander in Rockton, IL; and in Northeast Ohio at Heinen's Markets in Cleveland
and Acme Fresh Market
stores in Akron
. Dean & DeLucca, the New York based fine food emporium, attempted to carry the product but were refused by Graeter's, as the quantities involved would have forced them to compromise their small-batch technique. Because of the small batch
es and high amount of labor involved, Graeter's pints are more expensive than other brands of premium ice cream, such as Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs
.
Like most super-premium ice creams, Graeter’s has a high butter fat content, between 16 and 18%. It also has no air whipped in, and so is extremely dense, which adds to its rich flavor. On her show in July 2002, Oprah Winfrey said: "You haven't had ice cream till you've had Graeter's. The butter pecan is Stedman's
favorite, and mine, too." The company was then overwhelmed with 800,000 phone and Internet orders, which overwhelmed and brought down the local Cincinnati Bell phone company switch. Today, Graeter's ships about 40,000 packages of ice cream to fans across the country every year.
Graeter's stores also receive ice cream in two-gallon tubs, which they scoop to make ice cream cone
s, ice cream soda
s, and milkshake
s. Graeter's also sells its ice cream online, and offers fresh baked-goods and hand-dipped chocolate.
, 11 in Columbus
, four in Dayton
, Ohio, and two in Northern Kentucky
. A shop opened in the Kings Island
amusement park
in 2005. On October 15, 2007, Graeter's returned to its historic roots in Downtown Cincinnati when it opened a new store on Fountain Square in the heart of the city. There is also a location on Ludlow Ave. in the gaslight district of Clifton
Graeter's has one franchisee who operates five retail stores located in Louisville
, Kentucky, one in New Albany
, Indiana, and one at the Harrah's Horseshoe Southern Indiana, with plans to open a store in Lexington
, Kentucky in early 2011.
Sorbets
Limited Edition Flavors (available in pints)
Bonus flavors (only in scoop shops) may include:
Note that flavors listed as "bonus" may be permanent flavors in some locations. For example, Bourbon Ball is a permanent flavor in Louisville-area stores.
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
, baked goods, and candy
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
which originated in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1870. Their super premium
Premium
Premium may refer to:* Premium , a promotional item that can be received for a small fee when redeeming proofs of purchase that come with or on retail products....
, thick ice cream has been featured on Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
, and has earned them many dedicated fans, including Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
.
"French pot" process
Graeter's ice cream is made in a French pot batch process. The ice cream mix is placed into a chilled, spinning French pot. As the cream freezes on the sidewall of the pot, a blade gently scrapes the pot's sidewalls, folding the slowly freezing cream into itself. It takes about 20 minutes to freeze a two-gallon batch. For flavors that include chocolateChocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
chips, a low melting temperature liquid chocolate is poured into the pot, and freezes into a thin shell on top of the ice cream. A worker uses a blade to break up this shell and mix it into the ice cream, resulting in Graeter's famous huge dark chewy chocolate chips.
Each batch of ice cream is only about two gallons (7.6 L
Litér
- External links :*...
) and is thus very labor intensive. The resulting ice cream is so thick that it must be hand-packed into pint
Pint
The pint is a unit of volume or capacity that was once used across much of Europe with values varying from state to state from less than half a litre to over one litre. Within continental Europe, the pint was replaced with the metric system during the nineteenth century...
s (473 mL). An article in The New York Times in 1997 explains that for reasons not understood, superior ice creams are made in batches of two gallons or less. In making that point, the article cited the example of Graeter's, which it said "is considered by most connoisseurs to be the finest ice cream in the world." The ice cream is sold in pint containers at Graeter's stores, and at food markets, including Giant Eagle
Giant Eagle
Giant Eagle, Inc., is a supermarket chain with stores in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland. The company was founded in 1918 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Supermarket News ranked Giant Eagle No. 21 in the 2009 "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on 2008...
grocery and Meijer
Meijer
Meijer, Inc. is a regional American hypermarket chain based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1934 as a supermarket chain, Meijer is credited with pioneering the modern supercenter concept in 1962. About half of the company's 196 stores are located in Michigan, with additional locations in...
; Kroger
Kroger
The Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
, also a Cincinnati-based company, in the vicinity of Graeter's stores as well as in the Atlanta, Dallas–Fort Worth
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
, Houston
Greater Houston
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas...
, Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
and Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
areas; King Soopers
King Soopers & City Market
King Soopers and City Market are two supermarket brands of Kroger in the Rocky Mountains of the United States. Though they were originally separate, Kroger now manages them together.-King Soopers:...
stores (a division of Kroger) in Denver, Colorado; numerous Ralphs
Ralphs
Ralphs is a major supermarket chain in the Southern California area and the largest subsidiary of Cincinnati-based Kroger. It is the oldest such chain west of the Mississippi River. Ralphs also operates stores under the Food 4 Less and Foods Co. names in California.-History:Ralphs Grocery Company...
(also a division of Kroger) locations in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
; Highlander in Rockton, IL; and in Northeast Ohio at Heinen's Markets in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
and Acme Fresh Market
Acme Fresh Market
Akron, Ohio grocery chain. For the unrelated Philadelphia-area chain, see Acme Markets.Acme Fresh Market is a grocery store chain with 16 locations in Northeast Ohio serving Portage, Stark, Summit, & Cuyahoga Counties...
stores in Akron
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
. Dean & DeLucca, the New York based fine food emporium, attempted to carry the product but were refused by Graeter's, as the quantities involved would have forced them to compromise their small-batch technique. Because of the small batch
Batch production
Batch production is a technique used in manufacturing, in which the object in question is created stage by stage over a series of workstations. Batch production is common in bakeries and in the manufacture of sports shoes, pharmaceutical ingredients , inks, paints and adhesives. In the manufacture...
es and high amount of labor involved, Graeter's pints are more expensive than other brands of premium ice cream, such as Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs
Häagen-Dazs
Häagen-Dazs is a brand of ice cream, established by Jewish-Polish immigrants Reuben and Rose Mattus in the Bronx, New York, in 1961. Starting with only three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and coffee, the company opened its first retail store in Brooklyn, New York, on November 15, 1976...
.
Like most super-premium ice creams, Graeter’s has a high butter fat content, between 16 and 18%. It also has no air whipped in, and so is extremely dense, which adds to its rich flavor. On her show in July 2002, Oprah Winfrey said: "You haven't had ice cream till you've had Graeter's. The butter pecan is Stedman's
Stedman Graham
Stedman Graham is an American educator, author, businessman and speaker, who has also served in the United States Army, although he is primarily known as the partner of media mogul Oprah Winfrey...
favorite, and mine, too." The company was then overwhelmed with 800,000 phone and Internet orders, which overwhelmed and brought down the local Cincinnati Bell phone company switch. Today, Graeter's ships about 40,000 packages of ice cream to fans across the country every year.
Graeter's stores also receive ice cream in two-gallon tubs, which they scoop to make ice cream cone
Ice cream cone
An ice cream cone, poke or cornet is a dry, cone-shaped pastry, usually made of a wafer similar in texture to a waffle, allowing ice cream to be eaten without a bowl or spoon...
s, ice cream soda
Ice cream soda
An ice cream soda or float , coke float , or spider , is a beverage that consists of one or more scoops of ice cream in either a soft drink or in a mixture of flavored syrup and carbonated water.-Origins:The ice cream soda was invented by Robert M...
s, and milkshake
Milkshake
A milkshake is a sweet, cold beverage which is made from milk, ice cream or iced milk, and flavorings or sweeteners such as fruit syrup or chocolate sauce....
s. Graeter's also sells its ice cream online, and offers fresh baked-goods and hand-dipped chocolate.
Graeter's locations
Graeter's has 31 company-owned stores, with 14 located in CincinnatiCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, 11 in Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, four in Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, Ohio, and two in Northern Kentucky
Northern Kentucky
Northern Kentucky is the name often given to the northernmost counties in Kentucky...
. A shop opened in the Kings Island
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...
amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
in 2005. On October 15, 2007, Graeter's returned to its historic roots in Downtown Cincinnati when it opened a new store on Fountain Square in the heart of the city. There is also a location on Ludlow Ave. in the gaslight district of Clifton
Graeter's has one franchisee who operates five retail stores located in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Kentucky, one in New Albany
New Albany, Indiana
New Albany is a city in Floyd County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River opposite Louisville, Kentucky. In 1900, 20,628 people lived in New Albany; in 1910, 20,629; in 1920, 22,992; and in 1940, 25,414. The population was 36,372 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of...
, Indiana, and one at the Harrah's Horseshoe Southern Indiana, with plans to open a store in Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, Kentucky in early 2011.
List of Graeter's ice cream flavors
Year-Round Flavors- Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip
- Black Cherry
- Buckeye Blitz
- ButterButterButter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
PecanPecanThe pecan , Carya illinoinensis, is a species of hickory, native to south-central North America, in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz, in the United States from southern Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana east to western Kentucky, southwestern Ohio, North Carolina, South... - Caramel
- Chocolate
- Chocolate CoconutCoconutThe coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
AlmondAlmondThe almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
Chocolate Chip - Coconut Chocolate Chip
- CoffeeCoffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
- CookieCookieIn the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat, baked treat, usually containing fat, flour, eggs and sugar. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have...
Dough Chocolate Chip - Cookies And CreamCookies and CreamCookies and Cream is a variety of ice cream and milkshake based on flavoring from chocolate cookies. Often called the "King Kong of Ice Cream" because it immediately rocketed to the top of the World's Favorite Ice Cream Flavor list. The "Cookies and Cream" ice cream uses sweet cream ice cream ...
- Cotton Candy
- Double Chocolate Chip
- Elena's Blueberry Pie (a portion of the proceeds benefit The Cure Starts Now Foundation)
- MintMint (candy)A mint is a candy characterized by the presence of mint flavoring or real mint oil, whether it be peppermint oil, spearmint oil, or another natural or artificial source...
Chocolate Chip - Mocha Chocolate Chip
- Peanut ButterPeanut butterPeanut butter is a food paste made primarily from ground dry roasted peanuts, popular in North America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and parts of Asia, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia. It is mainly used as a sandwich spread, sometimes in combination as in the peanut butter and jelly...
Chocolate Chip - StrawberryStrawberryFragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
- ToffeeToffeeToffee is a confection made by caramelizing sugar or molasses along with butter, and occasionally flour. The mixture is heated until its temperature reaches the hard crack stage of 300 to 310 °F...
Chocolate Chip - VanillaVanillaVanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
- Vanilla Chocolate Chip
Sorbets
- Lemon Sorbet
- RaspberryRaspberryThe raspberry or hindberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus Rubus, most of which are in the subgenus Idaeobatus; the name also applies to these plants themselves...
Sorbet - Strawberry Sorbet
- Mango Sorbet
Limited Edition Flavors (available in pints)
- Cherry Chocolate Chip
- Strawberry Chocolate Chip
- PeachPeachThe peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
- Pumpkin
- PeppermintPeppermintPeppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and spearmint . The plant, indigenous to Europe, is now widespread in cultivation throughout all regions of the world...
Bonus flavors (only in scoop shops) may include:
- Apple CiderApple ciderApple cider is the name used in the United States and parts of Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples...
Sorbet - Banana Chocolate Chip
- Banana Cream Pie
- Blackberry White Chocolate Chip
- BlueberryBlueberryBlueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
Sorbet - Bourbon BallBourbon ballBourbon Balls were invented by Ruth Booe of Rebecca Ruth Candy Company. Ruth invented the confection in Frankfort Kentucky after a dignitary at Frankfort's sesquicentennial in 1936 commented that the two best tastes in the world were Kentucky Bourbon and Miss Booe's candy. They were being served...
- CheesecakeCheesecakeCheesecake is a dessert consisting of a topping made of soft, fresh cheese, usually on a crust or base made from biscuit , pastry or sponge cake. They may be baked or unbaked...
- Chocolate Almond
- Chocolate Fudge BrownieChocolate brownieA chocolate brownie is a flat, baked square or bar introduced in the United States at the end of the nineteenth century and popularized in both the U.S. and Canada during the first half of the twentieth century. The brownie is sliced from a type of dense, rich chocolate cake, which is, in texture,...
- CinnamonCinnamonCinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
- Eggnog
- HazelnutHazelnutA hazelnut is the nut of the hazel and is also known as a cob nut or filbert nut according to species. A cob is roughly spherical to oval, about 15–25 mm long and 10–15 mm in diameter, with an outer fibrous husk surrounding a smooth shell. A filbert is more elongated, being about twice...
Chocolate Chip - MintMint (candy)A mint is a candy characterized by the presence of mint flavoring or real mint oil, whether it be peppermint oil, spearmint oil, or another natural or artificial source...
Cookies and Cream - PistachioPistachioThe pistachio, Pistacia vera in the Anacardiaceae family, is a small tree originally from Persia , which now can also be found in regions of Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Sicily and possibly Afghanistan , as well as in the United States,...
- Pumpkin
- TangerineTangerine__notoc__The tangerine is an orange-colored citrus fruit which is closely related to the Mandarin orange . Taxonomically, it should probably be formally named as a subspecies or variety of Citrus reticulata; further work seems to be required to ascertain its correct scientific name...
Cream - WatermelonWatermelonWatermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
Sorbet
Note that flavors listed as "bonus" may be permanent flavors in some locations. For example, Bourbon Ball is a permanent flavor in Louisville-area stores.