Our Story
Over a century ago, our founder H. Morton Perry gave us an indispensable piece of advice “Make sure you put in enough of the good stuff.” Today, this philosophy is rooted in everything we do—from how we craft our ice cream to the way we do business.
A Scoop of History – 100+ Years and Counting
Perry’s Ice Cream was founded in 1918 when H. Morton Perry purchased a milk route in Akron, NY – a small suburb just east of Buffalo. The business, known as Perry’s Dairy at the time, operated as a home delivery and wholesale dairy business until 1932 when the Akron High School cafeteria manager asked Morton if he could supply ice cream to the school. Using a family recipe for ice cream given to him by his mother, Morton began mixing small batches of ice cream on the kitchen stove with his son, Marlo. As demand increased, the Perry family began delivering bulk ice cream to local stores and restaurants around Akron, and thus began Perry’s Ice Cream as we know it today!
Flash forward to present day, Perry’s Ice Cream is a 4th generation owned and operated business. Using the same recipe passed down for generations, Perry’s Ice Cream is still slow cooked, and delivered throughout Akron, NY and beyond. Staying true to our roots, nearly 100% of our milk comes from farms in the surrounding Akron communities. Now that’s the good stuff.
Always Wearing our Sundae Best
What started as a small milk route now employs over 400 team members throughout New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and our products are distributed across New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
The fourth generation continues building on the history of Perry’s through growing our three business segments: the Perry’s brand, contract manufacturing, and our partner brands, while ensuring we support what matters most: the people and our community.
Our Values
At Perry’s, we’re not just in the ice cream business, we’re in the people business. Our values start with our team and reflect outwardly to our customers and the communities we serve. Read more about our values in action:
Doing the Right Thing
- Value and respect every team member
- Be accountable for your own behavior and performance
- Communicate openly and honestly
Responsiveness
- Take action on opportunities for improvement
- Follow-through on commitments
- Provide timely responses and close the feedback loop
Safety
- Maintain safety as a priority everyday
- Ensure the safety of yourself and others
- Foster a safe work environment through safe behaviors
Our Brands
- Represent all brands with pride, excitement and passion
- Uphold standards of quality, service and safety
- Innovate to meet the needs of customers and consumers
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Consumers Customers & Community
- Meet and exceed expectations to strengthen loyalty
- Anticipate needs through engagement with our customers
- Support & participate in our communities
Committing to One Another’s Successes
- Inspire people to be their best every day
- Support and promote team-based collaboration
- Share knowledge readily and learn from our experiences
- Provide and solicit constructive feedback
Continuous Improvement
- Adopt a “Why Not” mindset and respectfully challenge the status quo
- Use data to guide improvements in practices and processes
- Celebrate successes
Environment
- Challenge ourselves to actively manage our resources
- Incorporate sustainability into our practices and decision-making
- Contribute to a cleaner environment
A Peek at Our Partners
Our communities are important to us. That’s why we’ve partnered with a variety of organizations in the communities we serve. Because our “Good Stuff” keeps going even after the carton is licked clean.
History
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The Good Stuff gets its start 1918Perry’s founded in Akron, NY by H. Morton Perry
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Churned with love 1932H. Morton Perry makes the first batch of Perry’s Ice Cream
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Making our mark 1950sThe iconic red Perry’s logo is introduced.
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Growing gains 1970s/1980sMajor growth prompts expansion; new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility opens at One Ice Cream Plaza
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Pick Perry’s for the fun of it 1980s/1990sMemorable “Pick Perry’s” campaign ushers in record breaking sales
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Re-Birth of the entrepreneurial spirit 2000The fourth generation stewards the organization with a thriving envisioned future
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Road to the future 2007Perry’s invests $9 million to make even more of the good stuff
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Celebrating a sweet century 2018Along with all of you, we raise a cone to 100 years of Perry’s Ice Cream
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Always wearing our sundae best TodayWe’ll keep serving up the good stuff that makes all of life’s moments even sweeter… and reminding the world that Life is a Bowl of Perry’s®