OUR RICH HISTORY
1910
Where It All Began
In 1910 Paul Rich Sr. expanded his Buffalo, NY dairy to first make Rich's Ice Cream. He used this WWI surplus truck, salt and ice to deliver the product to his customers.
1946
Rich Ice Cream Co. Founded
After serving as a pilot in WWII, Paul's son Willard Rich settles in West Palm Beach, FL, and begins making Rich's Ice Cream in his new company - Rich Ice Cream Co. In 1951 he moves the company to its current location at 2915 South Dixie Highway, now making the Rich's plant the longest running ice cream plant in the state of Florida.
1947
Rich's Expands Throughout Florida and the Caribbean Islands
Because our founder was a pilot, he traveled to the nearby Caribbean Islands frequently, growing Rich's brand and reputation far beyond the South Florida mainland.
1953
Rich's Develops the Frozen Eclair
Willard Rich invents the equipment and the manufacturing steps to mass produce eclairs in his West Palm Beach plant. In 1953, he fills them with ice cream and sells them throughout South Florida. After discovering that the ice cream inside would make them soggy within a week, he discusses the problem with his brother Robert Rich (founder of Rich Products Corporation), and the two come up with a plan to utilize Rich Products' newly developed non-dairy filling to solve the problem and distribute them nationally. In 1954, the two companies make history with the first baked dessert to be distributed nationally while frozen.
1958
JFK Loves Rich's Ice Cream
Even prior to becoming a U.S. President, John F. Kennedy spent many a Saturday at Greene's Pharmacy in Palm Beach enjoying a hot fudge sundae. He often commented that our ice cream was one of his favorite treats!
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1962
Rich's Brings Ice Cream to Florida Neighborhoods on "Treat Trucks"
Remember this scene. You're playing hide and seek in the park, and you hear it. The song begins to play and you holler "It's the ice cream man!!!" To this day, Rich's is still sold by locally owned and operated ice cream trucks throughout the country.
1968
Rich's Develops the "Cake Roll"
The frozen éclair was our first "first", but it wouldn't be our last! The cake roll was made from scratch at Rich's plant, and became a smash hit in the 60's. You could have your cake and eat it too!
1969
President Sends Secret Service on a Mission for Rich's Ice Cream
Rich's Ice Cream was such a favorite of President Richard Nixon that he sent his secret service agents to get it for him on his trips to South Florida.
1980
Rich's Develops More Nutritious Ice Cream for School Kids
In the 80's Rich's began developing recipes for schools that were lower in fat, sugar and calories, but tasted just like our regular ice cream. Almost four decades later the USDA used our feedback and know-how to develop the "Smart Snacks for School" program in place today as the standard for public school nutrition nationwide.
1998
Rich's Packaging Gets Its First Facelift
In 1998 we began what would be the biggest packaging change in our company's history. New logo, new look, new horizons...
2000
Rich's Begins National Expansion
After decades of serving up ice cream in tropical climates, we started thinking that there was a need for better tasting, more nutritious treats like ours all over the country. Schools and ice cream trucks thorughout the country agreed.
2015
Rich's Reaches Hawaii and Alaska
With Alaska and Hawaii on board, Rich's can finally be enjoyed in every corner of the US (including Puerto Rico and Guam).
2018
Rich's Becomes a Nut Free Facility and Bans Artificial Dyes
Setting the standard for Safer Snacking for all children, Rich's discontinues all products with peanuts and tree nuts, and bans them from our entire facility. We also ban the use of any artificial dyes in our products. A mission to provide Safer, Smarter Snacking for ALL kids becomes the biggest priority and mission in our company's history.
2020
Rich's Makes "Next Level" Nutrition Commitment
Rich's commits to use "Skim Milk" or "Apple Juice" as the main ingredient in all items, and use only Whole Grain wafers, cones, and crunch in all its Smart Snacks. The mission of Safer, Smarter Snacking becomes even more powerful.