History:
Quality Since 1932

The Pierre's Ice Cream Shop opened its doors in 1932 at a chic East 82nd Street and Euclid Avenue location. Its gourmet ice creams were prepared fresh each day in the back of the store and sold by the cone, the cup or hand packed for take home. The company founder, Alexander "Pierre" Basset, dreamed of marketing a premium ice cream which would be unsurpassed. Thus the name "Pierre's" ... and the creamy, indulgent recipe that is still used today.

Popularity for Pierre's delicious products grew rapidly. The little shop quickly began cranking out its specialty ice creams for restaurants, country clubs and gourmet markets.

It didn't take long for Pierre's to outgrow its small space on Euclid Avenue. Through the years, Pierre's made numerous expansions and relocations, each time into larger, more efficient manufacturing facilities. With each move, Pierre's always remained within three miles of its original location ... right in the heart of Cleveland, Ohio. From Euclid Avenue, its first move was to St. Clair Avenue, followed by a move to East 60th Street and Hough Avenue in 1960.

The Hough Avenue plant was shared with another small ice cream manufacturer ... the Royal Ice Cream Company, which was owned by Sol Roth. Royal had a very similar history to Pierre's, starting out as a small ice cream shop with a commitment to quality.

In 1960, the Royal Ice Cream Company acquired the Pierre's Ice Cream Company. Royal then began showcasing the Pierre's brand and special recipe, and devoted all of its resources to expanding the line and building the Pierre's name. The next direction for Pierre's was expansion into half-gallon packages, broader distribution beyond Cuyahoga County, and the creation of wonderfully unique and popular flavors for sale in retail stores, as well as ice cream parlors.

In 1967, Pierre's/Royal acquired the Harwill Ice Cream Company at East 65th Street and Carnegie Avenue. It consolidated all operations to that one plant and expanded the facility several times before out-growing it. In April of 1995, Pierre's moved into its current distribution center and office headquarters at East 65th and Euclid Avenue, just one mile west of its original shop.  In September 2010, Pierre's broke ground on a 35,000 square foot, state-of-the-art ice cream factory scheduled to open in Spring 2011.

The first retail product that Pierre's produced was its pint. French Vanilla, Swiss Chocolate and Strawberry comprised the entire assortment and were sold through local grocery stores. An updated version of the original, eye-catching design is still used today to remind consumers that Pierre's is dedicated to upholding the high quality recipes developed at the original ice cream shop.

Pierre's assortment of products has grown through the years. Presently, there are over 235 different products/flavors that bear the Pierre's name. The company also manufactures private label lines and distributes many of the national brands of ice cream.

Pierre's original, classic recipes are daily reminders of the company's dedication to quality. That dedication influences the company's focus on the future as it develops new business opportunities and continues to be innovative and sensitive to consumers' changing needs. Unique flavors and products, like ¡Hola Fruta!^® Pure Fruit Sherbet, as well as delicious healthful ice cream alternatives such as Yovation^® Probiotic Frozen Yogurt, Slender^® No Sugar Added Reduced Fat Ice Cream sweetened with Splenda^®, sherbet and sorbets, and specialty items like Frosted Smoothies^® are ways for Pierre's to express its creativity, talents and leadership.

The company's commitment to serving its customers and the community are evidenced by its actions. In recognition of the company's outstanding performance as a supplier and corporate citizen, Pierre's has been honored with numerous awards, such as: American Culinary Federation Cleveland Chapter, Inc. Associate of the Year in 1997, American Institute of Architects Honor Award for Achievement of Excellence in the Architectural Design of Pierre's French Ice Cream Company Corporate Headquarters, 1996 Cleveland Food Dealers Honor Award, The Weatherhead School's Family Business Hall of Fame in 1995, the George S. Dively Award for Leadership in Neighborhood Development in 1995, a Best New Product award by Esquire Magazine in 2001, a Women’s Minority Business Enterprise Vendor of the Year Award in 2005, not to mention numerous packaging design awards.