Rocky Mountain Blue Bell Ice Cream Ice Cream Style Homemade Story of Blue Bell Ice Cream
Blue Bell Creameries, which is the manufacturer of Blue Bell brand ice cream, was founded in 1907 and still family owned. Blue Bell ice cream is made in out-of-the-way Brenham, Texas and which many people consider the best in the country.

So many people think so that Blue Bell, which is only sold in 16 states (sold through special permission with Blue Bell we truck in our flavors directly from Texas), mostly in the South, ranks No. 3 in sales nationally, trailing only Dreyer's (known as Edy's in some areas) and Breyers, ahead of the more widely available Haagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry's according to The New York Times.

When I asked Howard Kruse, President of Blue Bell for the real secret behind Blue Bell's success and not for the formula, which he wouldn't tell me anyway he replied, "A combination of process and ingredients." Duh.

A half-gallon of Blue Bell weighs 52 ounces, compared to 40 ounces for Breyers, and it has a butterfat content of 13 percent, compared to 18 percent for Hagen-Dazs.

Italian gelato, also noted for richness, contains even less butterfat, usually around 7 percent and never more than 10. When I ran these facts past Mr. Kruse, he replied, "We aim to fill our customers up on taste, not on fat and sugar." Double duh. On the matter of flavors, the Kruses are a good deal more forthcoming. They make 45 or 50 in any given year, building on a core list of 17. The biggest seller by far is Homemade Vanilla, developed in 1969.