Breyers
Encyclopedia
Breyers is a brand of frozen dessert and ice cream
owned by Unilever
(part of their United States
Good Humor-Breyers
unit). They have a large plant in the town of Framingham
, Massachusetts
, outside Boston
.
For years, Breyers was known for its short, all-natural ingredients list. This featured prominently in an advertising campaign where a child would attempt to read the ingredients from another brand, experiencing extreme difficulty pronouncing the artificial additives. He then turned to the Breyers list and quickly rattled off the four ingredients (in their vanilla at the time): milk
, cream
, sugar
, and vanilla
. In recent years, as part of cost cutting measures since the acquisition by Unilever, the list has expanded to include synthetic Tara gum and corn syrup
.
in 1969. Kraft sold its ice cream brands to Unilever
in 1993, while retaining the rights to the name for yogurt products.
, a Nestlé
brand. While William Breyer founded his ice cream on the east coast, another man, William Dreyer, founded an ice cream company on the west coast. As the two brands increased their reach across the country, a similarity of name issue was inevitable. In 1981, Joseph Edy sought to market its product east of the Rocky Mountains under the "Edy's Grand" name. However, Breyers made no similar reciprocal agreement, and by the mid-1980s began to distribute Breyers ice cream to states throughout the midwestern and western United States. As a result, both Breyers and Dreyer's can be found on grocery shelves in western states.
then by CoolBrands International
, a Canadian
company, and it was sold to Healthy Food Holdings, an affiliate of Catterton Partners
, a private equity firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut
, in 2007. The yogurt was manufactured under license from Unilever at an upstate New York facility until the licensing agreement was terminated and the Breyers Yogurt line was discontinued in April 2011. Catterton continues to produce YoCrunch yogurt but without the Breyers co-branding.
→ Standard (previously All Natural)- Uses ingredients mostly derived from natural sources.
→ Smooth & Dreamy- Uses mostly all-natural ingredients with half the fat and fewer calories than regular ice cream."
→ Double Churn Fat Free- Fat-free Ice Cream
→ Double Churn No Sugar Added- Creamy ice cream with no sugar added.
→ CarbSmart- A low-carb ice cream product with 4 grams of net carbs per 1/2-cup serving.
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...
owned by Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
(part of their United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Good Humor-Breyers
Good Humor-Breyers
Good Humor-Breyers is a unit of Unilever that includes the formerly independent Good Humor, Breyers, Klondike Bar, and Popsicle brands. It was based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, now in New Jersey. It was formed by the merger of Good Humor and Breyers in 1993...
unit). They have a large plant in the town of Framingham
Framingham, Massachusetts
Framingham is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 68,318 as of the United States 2010 Census. -History:...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, outside Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
For years, Breyers was known for its short, all-natural ingredients list. This featured prominently in an advertising campaign where a child would attempt to read the ingredients from another brand, experiencing extreme difficulty pronouncing the artificial additives. He then turned to the Breyers list and quickly rattled off the four ingredients (in their vanilla at the time): milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
, cream
Cream
Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, over time, the lighter fat rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators"...
, sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, and vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla 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...
. In recent years, as part of cost cutting measures since the acquisition by Unilever, the list has expanded to include synthetic Tara gum and corn syrup
Corn syrup
Corn syrup is a food syrup, which is made from the starch of maize and contains varying amounts of maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to soften texture, add volume, prevent crystallization of sugar, and enhance flavor...
.
History
Breyer’s son, Henry, incorporated the business in 1908. The formerly independent Breyer Ice Cream Company was sold to the National Dairy Products Corporation in 1926; National Dairy changed its name to KraftKraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
in 1969. Kraft sold its ice cream brands to Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
in 1993, while retaining the rights to the name for yogurt products.
Legal issues with Dreyer's
Breyers is sometimes confused with Dreyer'sDreyer's
Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Nestlé, is a United States-based producer of ice cream and frozen yogurt had originated in 1928 as Edy's Grand Ice Cream, a Northern California business under a partnership of Joseph Edy and William Dreyer. In 1947 the partnership dissolved....
, a Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
brand. While William Breyer founded his ice cream on the east coast, another man, William Dreyer, founded an ice cream company on the west coast. As the two brands increased their reach across the country, a similarity of name issue was inevitable. In 1981, Joseph Edy sought to market its product east of the Rocky Mountains under the "Edy's Grand" name. However, Breyers made no similar reciprocal agreement, and by the mid-1980s began to distribute Breyers ice cream to states throughout the midwestern and western United States. As a result, both Breyers and Dreyer's can be found on grocery shelves in western states.
Breyers Yogurt
Breyers Yogurt was a brand of yogurt, owned previously by Kraft FoodsKraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
then by CoolBrands International
CoolBrands
Swisher Hygiene Inc. is a company based in Markham, Ontario, Canada.-CoolBrands International:The company originally named CoolBrands International Inc., and it core business was frozen desserts that it sold under a variety of brands...
, a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
company, and it was sold to Healthy Food Holdings, an affiliate of Catterton Partners
Catterton Partners
Catterton Partners is a private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations and growth capital investments in middle-market companies...
, a private equity firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, in 2007. The yogurt was manufactured under license from Unilever at an upstate New York facility until the licensing agreement was terminated and the Breyers Yogurt line was discontinued in April 2011. Catterton continues to produce YoCrunch yogurt but without the Breyers co-branding.
Canada
Breyers is also available in Canada, where the product is sold in 1.89-L (half-US-gallon) containers. Some are marketed as a "frozen dessert" instead of ice cream, since certain products are made with hydrogenated vegetable oils and modified milk ingredients rather than milk.Product lines
Breyers has a variety of different product lines including:→ Standard (previously All Natural)- Uses ingredients mostly derived from natural sources.
→ Smooth & Dreamy- Uses mostly all-natural ingredients with half the fat and fewer calories than regular ice cream."
→ Double Churn Fat Free- Fat-free Ice Cream
→ Double Churn No Sugar Added- Creamy ice cream with no sugar added.
→ CarbSmart- A low-carb ice cream product with 4 grams of net carbs per 1/2-cup serving.
Cost Cutting
Although promoting itself as a 'natural ice cream' in the past, like some of their competitors Breyers has recently reformulated many of its flavors with cheaper nontraditional ingredients.External links
- Official website
- Good-Humor Breyers corporate website
- adailyscoop.com Breyers Natural Ice Cream and Tara Gum: Unilever’s Response