Gary Rogers and William F. Prior to the purchase, Rogers and Cronk had attended the University of California at Berkeley together in the s. After graduating, Rogers joined the army and later went on to Harvard Business School, while Cronk became a stockbroker. The two men joined forces again in the s to start a restaurant, and when the venture failed, they decided to purchase Dreyer's. Rogers became chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Dreyer's, while his partner, Cronk, was named as the company's president.
Together, the two began formulating a plan to introduce the company's product nationwide and to make Dreyer's the leading premium ice cream in the country, filling the gap between Haagen Dazs super premium and Sealtest generic , both of which were already found on the national level. Under the leadership of Rogers and Cronk, Dreyer's had introduced its products into the states of Washington, Oregon, and Arizona by , using the company's unique direct-store distribution system.
Direct-store delivery was a strong advantage in Dreyer's quick expansion throughout the West, in that it allowed the company to tailor each delivery to the tastes of consumers in any particular area. Dreyer's was therefore able to ensure that it could meet the demands of its customers, making retail outlets more willing to stock Dreyer's products.
Direct-store delivery also enabled Dreyer's to avoid the costs of building numerous manufacturing facilities to coincide with existing distribution companies throughout its market areas. With a strong hold on the market in the western United States, Dreyer's became a public company in , selling shares of its stock to fund further expansion and distribution around the United States.
Because another premium ice cream company by the name of Breyers already existed in much of the eastern portion of the country, Dreyer's agreed to market its product east of the Rocky Mountains under the Edy's Grand name.
Edy's Grand Ice Cream was introduced in Chicago and Kansas City in , offering 23 different flavors to its retail customers. In December , Dreyer's made a strategic move to accommodate its growing distribution needs in the eastern United States when it acquired Berliner Foods Corp.
Prior to the purchase, Berliner had distributed 55 manufactured gourmet ice creams and ice cream novelty items, the most notable of which was Haagen Dazs, throughout the states surrounding Maryland. Dreyer's used Berliner as a means of distributing its Edy's Grand product line around the mid-Atlantic region to test the eastern market, and eventually used its success in that area as a springboard to enter the New England region and the remainder of the East Coast.
Dreyer's then expanded its product line in with the introduction of Dreyer's and Edy's Grand Light, the first premium light ice cream in the United States.
The ice cream contained half the fat content and a third fewer calories than regular Dreyer's or Edy's Grand Ice Cream. Grand Light was quickly accepted by the many consumers who were becoming more and more health-conscious, and by the end of sales of the product had doubled from the previous year.
In the company also established the Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Charitable Foundation, an organization committed to supporting community, youth and K public education programs. The Foundation soon spread its reach throughout the country, localizing itself mainly in the many communities where Dreyer's held operating facilities. In , the company once again led the market with the national introduction of frozen yogurt in quart and half-gallon containers.
Available in almost every popular flavor, the frozen yogurt was the best-selling packaged yogurt in the United States within three years, and its success soon ushered in six flavors of Dreyer's completely fat-free frozen yogurt. Nineteen eighty-nine also marked the beginning of an extremely important partnership between Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, Inc. Distributing the two products together also helped bolster the sales of each, as the availability of one item was often a selling point with retailers for stocking the other.
Dreyer's also sealed a distribution deal with NutraSweet in April of the same year, after NutraSweet's Simplesse fat substitute was approved by the FDA for use in frozen desserts and the introduction of Simple Pleasures fat-free frozen dessert began. With sales in its U. Because politically powerful dairy farmers had kept Japan's dairy prices at an extraordinarily high level for many years, Dreyer's sales potential in Japan looked very promising.
Trade pressure from the United States had forced Japan to lift restrictions on the import of dairy products, making it possible for Dreyer's to ship its products to Japan directly from its manufacturing sites in California. Nineteen ninety also saw the introduction of Dreyer's American Dream, a 99 percent fat and cholesterol-free dessert made with the same ingredients as ice cream, but which did not contain a fat substitute.
The product marked Dreyer's increasing commitment to serving the health-conscious consumer, and, within a year it became the leading premium nonfat brand in almost all of its markets. Dreyer's continued its product line expansion in with the unveiling of Dreyer's and Edy's No Sugar Added, which appealed to consumers who wished to limit their sugar consumption for health or dietary reasons. The success of these products, combined with Dreyer's successful expansion throughout the country during the s, had solidly placed Dreyer's line of products as the second-leading premium brand in the United States in , with competitor Breyers at the head of the premium market.
Continuing its emphasis on product development, Dreyer's began manufacturing frozen dessert novelty items in The company introduced Dreyer's and Edy's Ice Cream Bars and Tropical Fruit Bars, and set its sights on capturing an even greater number of consumers based on the variety and convenience provided by the new items. Dreyer's also created a soft-serve variety of its ice cream and frozen yogurt, dubbed Dreyer's Premium Soft, to be sold in restaurants, ice cream shops, and other outlets in the food service industry.
In order to meet the demand for its increasing number and variety of products, Dreyer's utilized over fifty distribution centers around the country, which were served by five different manufacturing facilities located in Union City and Commerce, California; Denver, Colorado; Houston, Texas; and Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The company's efficiency in manufacturing and distribution was recognized by Industry Week magazine when it named the Fort Wayne facility as one of the country's ten best manufacturing plants in Dreyer's continued its nationwide expansion with successful entrances into the Florida and Texas markets, using its direct-store distribution system as its strongest strategic asset.
By early , Dreyer's products were being sold in every major grocery chain in the state of Florida, and the company had entered into an agreement with Sunbelt Distributors, Inc. Ice cream maker William Dreyer, and candy maker Joseph Edy form a sweet partnership. Now that's n-ice cream. As the Great Depression hit, Dreyer and Edy wanted to create a special new flavor to make folks smile.
They mixed together rich chocolate ice cream, crunchy almonds and chewy marshmallows. Rocky Road was born! You're on a roll, Mr. William Dreyer retires - passing the big ice cream scooper on to his son, Junior. How nice to look back at your life's work, and see 25 years of smiling faces. Well done, Sir. Gary Rogers and William F. Cronk buy Dreyer's Ice Cream and head East - achieving mouthwathering success for three decades. Dreyer's celebrates their 50th anniversary by going big.
Opening new distribution centers nationwide, they manufacture more than three million gallons of ice cream in a single year. We just got ourselves one happy country. John Harrison, official ice cream taster and luckiest guy on earth invents the cultural phenomenon we now call Cookies 'N Cream.
Our taste buds thank you, Mr. Dreyer's introduces Grand Light Ice Cream. The result, rich and creamy deliciousness with half the fat and a third fewer calories than full fat ice cream.
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