Back
Blog
ICIC screams for ice cream (and for our program alumni in the ice cream business)!
July is National Ice Cream Month, so it comes as no surprise that it’s the busiest month for the U.S. ice cream industry – both in the production and consumption of the frozen confection.
While the team at ICIC tends to scream for ice cream year-round, it seems we are not alone … According to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), the average American eats more than 22 pounds of ice cream and related frozen desserts per year.
All that consumption translates into big business. In fact, the IDFA reports that the ice cream industry has a $1.3 BILLION impact on the U.S. economy, supports 28,800 direct jobs, and generates $1.8 BILLION in direct wages.
Taking their scoop of the profits are more than 50 small businesses in ICIC’s alumni network (ICAN). These businesses operate across the ice cream industry, including manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, ice cream retail shops, and more, and have participated in ICIC’s Urban Business Initiatives (Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC), Inner City 100 (IC100), 10,000 Small Businesses (10KSB), and Cultivate Small Business (CSB)).
Read below for the scoop on where to find ICIC alumni-owned shops and products to celebrate National Ice Cream Month:
California
| Ampersand Ice Cream (Fresno) | The Pie Bar (Long Beach) |
| Chunk-n-Chip (Santa Ana) | San Francisco’s Hometown Creamery (San Francisco) |
| Coolhaus (Culver City) | Snoice (Spring Valley) |
| Devil May Care Ice Cream and Frozen Treats (West Sacramento) |
| Long Beach Creamery (Long Beach & Bellflower) | |
| Mother Moo Creamery (Sierra Madre) |
Connecticut
| Gelato Giuliana (New Haven) |
Florida
| Azucar Ice Cream Company (Miami) | |
| The Gelato Company and Eatery (Gainesville) | |
| Lulu’s (Miami) |
Illinois
| Capannari Ice Cream (Mount Prospect) | Skinnysweet Frozen Yogurt (Glen Ellyn & Lombard) |
| Kilwins Chocolate & Fudge (Chicago) | Unbeatable Eatables (Country Club Hills) |
Maryland
| Roll Ice Cream & Coffee (Baltimore) |
Massachusetts
| Big Daddy’s Ice Cream (Springfield) | |
| Chill Out Shaved Ice (Easthampton) |
Michigan
| The Custard Hut (Dearborn Heights) | Farmhouse Coffee & Ice Cream (Farmington Hills) |
| Cold Truth (Detroit) | Sweet Potato Sensations (Detroit) |
Missouri
| Clementine’s Naughty and Nice Ice Cream (Clayton & St. Louis) |
New Hampshire
| Kilwins (Portsmouth) |
New Jersey
| Creamas Artisan Flavors (Union City) |
New York
| The Chocolate Room (Brooklyn) | |
| Milk & Cream Cereal Bar (Manhattan) | |
| SkyIce (Brooklyn) |
North Carolina
| Anida’s Homemade Ice Cream (Cary) |
Ohio
| Honey Hut Ice Cream (Brecksville) | |
| Cream & Sugar (Columbus) |
Oregon
| Ruby Jewel (Portland) |
Pennsylvania
| Dre’s Water Ice & Ice Cream (Philadelphia) | Weckerly’s Ice Cream (Philadelphia) |
| Frutero Ice Cream (Philadelphia) | Zsa’s Ice Cream (Philadelphia) |
| Lil Pop Shop (Philadelphia) |
Rhode Island
| Palagis Ice Cream (Pawtucket) | |
| Like No Udder (Providence) | |
| Warwick Ice Cream Co. (Warwick) |
Tennessee
| Margie’s 901 Homemade Ice Cream and Cakes (Memphis) |
Texas
| The Freezing Point (Houston) | |
| Melt Ice Creams (Fort Worth & Dallas) | |
| Trentino Gelato (Houston) |