 | |
| Industry | Food service |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2002 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Founder | Jeni Britton |
| Headquarters | Columbus, Ohio , U.S. |
Number of locations | 28 cities [1] |
Area served | Regional for some products and national for others |
Key people | Stacy Peterson (CEO) |
| Products | Ice cream and novelties |
| Website | jenis |
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is an ice cream company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Jeni's has over 80 ice cream shops and retail distributors in the United States. [1]
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams was founded by Jeni Britton-Bauer, who is the current chief creative officer.
Before starting Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, Britton-Bauer attended The Ohio State University and studied art history and fine art. While in college, she was given vials of scented chemicals by a chemistry graduate colleague, which led her to gather essential oils, make her own perfume, and sell her perfumes for a few years. [2]
Bauer experimented with the essential oil of cayenne pepper and combined it with chocolate ice cream to make spicy frozen chocolate. She determined that ice cream was "the perfect carrier of scent," and thus began making other flavors of ice cream with essential oils. Two weeks later, she decided that she wanted to make scented ice cream as a business and dropped out of Ohio State. [2]
Bauer first sold her ice cream at a farmer’s market in Columbus, Ohio. [3] Later on in 1996, Britton-Bauer opened her first storefront in the North Market area of Columbus, dubbed Scream Ice Creams. Britton-Bauer worked there for several years while further developing flavors. [4] Some of the first few flavors were Salty Caramel, Wildberry Lavender, and Queen City Cayenne. After four years, Britton-Bauer closed Scream and attended the ice cream short course at Penn State. [2]
The first Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams opened in 2002, also in the North Market. This establishment offered a wider variety of serving options than Scream, which provided customers one flavor at a time. Within the first year, the brother of her then-boyfriend (now husband) Charly joined the company, making him the third member of the company in addition to Britton-Bauer and Charly. [2]
In 2006, Bauer opened her first store outside of North Market and continued to expand into other locations in the area. In 2009, John Lowe was appointed as the company's first CEO. [2]
As of November 2022, the company has 1,800 employees. [5]
As of May 2022 [update] , "Scoop Shops" are located in fourteen states and the District of Columbia. [6] Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams pints are also distributed in over 3,000 high-end groceries and markets nationwide, as well as through online ordering. [7] In 2021, the company brought in $95.7 million. [4]
As of August 2022, Jeni's had 37 ice cream flavors on their menu, with new and changing flavors based on seasonality and partnerships. [8]
Jeni's partnered with Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey in 2022 for the non-alcoholic 'Boozy Eggnog' flavor. [9] They partnered again in December 2023 for a 'Hot Toddy' sorbet flavor, which was released in January 2024. [10]
On April 23, 2015, Jeni's initiated a recall due to the possible presence of Listeria in their retail pint ice cream. [11] The contamination originated with a retail product filling machine in Jeni's Ohio facility. [12] Jeni's initiated a second Listeria-related recall in June 2015, connected to the first recall. [13] There was another recall in June 2024, when its ice-cream sandwiches potentially contained Listeria - the company outsourced its ice cream sandwiches to Totally Cool, an ice cream manufacturer. [14] The company took steps to address the Listeria including recalling products, disinfecting their manufacturing facilities, and retraining their employees. [15] Jonathan Bernstein, a Los Angeles-based crisis management consultant, told Food Safety News that the company's initial response to the first positive Listeria test was "technically perfect." "They said we don’t know if anybody’s gotten sick, but we’re recalling everything, and they did it quick. In terms of response, they did the best possible thing they could do." [15]
Jeni's received a positive review on the "Hot and Spicy" episode of Food Network's show The Best Thing I Ever Ate (2010). [16] It was reviewed in The Washington Post (2011), [17] The Huffington Post (2012), [18] and U.S. News & World Report , who ranked it #1 in America in 2012. [19] The Chicago Tribune (2011) said "Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is gaining a national reputation for producing superior desserts made of milk sourced from a family farm in Ohio's Appalachian region." [20] Time magazine said it "has a large cult following among Ohio émigrés and ice cream geeks." [21]
The Atlantic positively reviewed it saying "Jeni's flavors are not successful simply because they are irreverent and ground-breaking. They work because a great deal of effort has gone into their crafting—what at first glance seems whimsical, upon first bite is proven artisanal." [22] It has also been positively reviewed in The New York Times (2011), [23] and by Today (2012). [24] In 2007, The New York Times said Jeni's had "surpassed the creativity of all other ice cream makers with its versions like goat cheese and Cognac fig sauce." [25]
In 2012, Jeni's received a Sofi Gold Award in the "Dessert or Dessert Topping" category for Lemon Frozen Yogurt. [26] In 2013, Jeni's won another Sofi Gold Award in the "Outstanding Product Line" category. [27] Beginning with her early days at Scream and continuing to the present, Britton Bauer's ice cream has incorporated products local to Columbus and Ohio, including milk, fruit, and whiskey. [2] [28]
Fast Company named Jeni Britton Bauer one of the Most Creative People in Business in 2018. [29] In 2019, Inc. listed Jeni's as #2329 on its Inc. 5000 list. [30]
Britton Bauer received an honorary doctorate in business administration from Ohio State, the university she had attended but left in her sophomore year to pursue a career in ice cream, after serving as the commencement speaker at the summer 2016 graduation. [31] [32]
In 2011, Jeni Britton Bauer published her first cookbook, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home, which became a New York Times best-seller; and The Wall Street Journal called it the "homemade-ice cream-making Bible." Britton Bauer won a James Beard Foundation Award for the cookbook. [33] The book was also nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Food & Cookbooks that year. [34]
Britton Bauer published Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream Desserts in 2014 "to provide an audience with the tools to craft their own ice cream-based creations". [35]
In March 2019, Britton Bauer published her third cookbook, The Artisanal Kitchen: Perfect Homemade Ice Cream: The Best Make-It Yourself Ice Creams, Sorbets, Sundaes, and Other Desserts. [36]
Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, biscuit, ice cream and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly savory to create desserts. In some parts of the world there is no tradition of a dessert course to conclude a meal.
Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food colouring is sometimes added in addition to stabilizers. The mixture is cooled below the freezing point of water and stirred to incorporate air spaces and prevent detectable ice crystals from forming. It can also be made by whisking a flavoured cream base and liquid nitrogen together. The result is a smooth, semi-solid foam that is solid at very low temperatures. It becomes more malleable as its temperature increases.
A soufflé is a baked egg dish originating in France in the early 18th century. Combined with various other ingredients, it can be served as a savoury main dish or sweetened as a dessert. The word soufflé is the past participle of the French verb souffler, which means to blow, breathe, inflate or puff.
Gelato is the common word in Italian for all types of ice cream. In English, it specifically refers to a frozen dessert of Italian origin. Artisanal gelato in Italy generally contains 6–9% butterfat, which is lower than other styles of frozen dessert. Gelato typically contains 35% air and more flavoring than other types of frozen desserts, giving it an intense flavor with creamy, smooth texture, density and richness that distinguishes it from other ice creams.
Graeter's is a regional ice cream chain based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1870 by Louis C. Graeter, the company has since expanded to 56 retail locations selling ice cream, candy and baked goods in the Midwestern United States. It further distributes its ice cream to 6,000 stores throughout the country. As of 2017, the company had 1,050 employees and $60 million in revenue.
Blue Bell Creameries is an American food company that manufactures ice cream. It was founded in 1907 in Brenham, Texas. For much of its early history, the company manufactured both ice cream and butter locally. In the mid-20th century, it abandoned butter production and expanded to the entire state of Texas and soon much of the Southern United States. The company's corporate headquarters are located at the "Little Creamery" in Brenham, Texas. Since 1919, it has been in the hands of the Kruse family. As of 2015, Blue Bell was the #2 selling ice cream manufacturer in the United States.
Ice cream parlors or ice cream parlours are places that sell ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and/or frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is typically sold as regular ice cream, and/or soft serve, which is usually dispensed by a machine with a limited number of flavors. Ice cream parlors generally offer a number of flavors and items. Parlors often serve ice cream and other frozen desserts in cones, cups or dishes, the latter two to be eaten with a spoon. Some ice cream parlors prepare ice cream desserts such as sundaes or milkshakes, or even a blend.
Sorbet is a frozen dessert made using ice combined with fruit juice, fruit purée, or other ingredients, such as wine, liqueur, or honey. Generally, sorbets do not contain dairy products.
Ciao Bella Gelato Company is a frozen dessert company specializing in gelatos and sorbets. Also known as "Ciao Bella", the company began in 1983 in a kitchen in New York City's Little Italy. Traditional recipes from Torino were used. Ciao Bella was formerly owned by Charlie Apt and F.W. Pearce. In 2018, the company was acquired by Atlanta-based High Road Craft Ice Cream, a premium ice cream company.
Double Rainbow is an American brand of premium ice cream, sorbets, and frozen desserts based in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1976 by two childhood friends, the company has remained a family-owned and operated business for over 40 years. The company distributes locally and nationally at retail stores and grocery outlets nationwide. Dubbed as "The Official Ice Cream of San Francisco" by former Mayor Willie Brown, Double Rainbow has won numerous awards, including "Grand Champion" at the World Dairy Expo. Manufactured products include dairy, non-dairy, and soy-based products. All of their ice creams are certified Kosher by the Orthodox Union.
Frozen dessert is a dessert made by freezing liquids, semi-solids, and sometimes solids. They may be based on flavored water, on fruit purées, on milk and cream, on custard, on mousse (semifreddo), and others. It is sometimes sold as ice-cream in South Asia and other countries.
Sorbetes is a traditional ice cream originating from the Philippines and uniquely characterized by the use of coconut milk and/or carabao milk. Often pejoratively called "dirty ice cream", it is distinct from the similarly named sorbet and sherbet. It is traditionally peddled in colorful wooden pushcarts by street vendors called "sorbeteros". It is served in various flavors in small wafer or sugar cones and more recently, as a pandesal bread ice cream sandwich.
Coolhaus is an American ice cream company based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 2009 by Natasha Case and Freya Estreller.
John Lowe is a former CEO of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams and, as of 2014, Eat Well Distribution. He retired from Jeni's Splendid in 2022.
Sherbet, often referred to as sherbert, is a frozen dessert made from water, sugar, a dairy product such as cream or milk, and a flavoring – typically fruit juice or purée, wine, liqueur, or occasionally non-fruit flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, or peppermint. It is similar to, but distinct from, sorbet, which lacks dairy.
Beer ice cream is a type of ice cream prepared using beer as an ingredient. Beer ice cream prepared using darker beers typically has a more distinct flavor compared to that prepared using lighter beers. The alcohol in the beer is sometimes present in the finished ice cream, while other preparations involve cooking, which can evaporate the alcohol.