Greater’s may just be America’s most irresistible ice cream. What, you’ve never heard of Graeter’s Ice Cream? Well, then you must not live near the Queen City of Cincinnati and Graeter’s is okay with that.
A recent Forbes.com blog post by Marc Babej titled, “Graeter’s Ice Cream Gets Big By Staying Small” points out how well Graeter’s has used its niche brand to gain a following that extends beyond its Midwest distribution reach.
Graeter’s Ice Cream was founded in 1870 by Louis C. Graeter using the French Pot Process of ice cream production. Today, 140 years later, Graeter’s is still serving the Cincinnati area using that same, and much antiquated, French Pot system.
Modern business minds would warn that an outdated production technique would signal the eminent death of any business. But using their apparent weakness as a strength, Graeter’s has managed to leverage their “small-time” story into a big-time fan base.
Graeter’s is a great lesson in success through branding. The family owned and operated business faces huge competition in any midwestern grocer’s freezer. There are a plethora of brands, flavors, sizes, and prices within the vast spectrum of ice cream section.
But Graeter’s has found an age old marketing secret… In a crowded marketplace, find a niche.
No other ice cream maker, including the ultra high-end brands, truly puts in the time and effort into their frozen dessert like Graeter’s does. Sure, their methods take longer and are probably more expensive, but why change a winning formula that is older than Ohio State University?
Carving out a niche role in the overcrowded ice cream game that is populated by giants like Ben & Jerry’s and Hagen Daz has worked for Graeter’s. They are definitely a boutique brand but they are growing with no aspirations to become some faceless corporation in the process. Graeter’s knows that they have a remarkable story to tell about a deliciously unique product, and that seems to be enough.
