July is National Ice Cream Month. Explore some of the creative goodies Americans will be enjoying this summer.

 

The average American consumes about four gallons of ice cream a year, according to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). Most ice cream companies are family owned and have been in operation for more than 50 years, according to an IDFA survey. And last year, ice cream makers in the U.S. churned out more than 1.3 billion gallons of ice cream. That’s a lot of frozen deliciousness. 

As the summer reaches peak temperatures in July, Americans celebrate National Ice Cream Month as a way to cool off and enjoy the nation’s favorite frozen treat with friends and family. This year the majority of that ice cream will be lacking chocolate, as the prices of cocoa, and the chocolate made from it, are at record highs. 

Formulators have gotten creative—and at times, edgy—with innovations for this summer. Many focus on newstalgia flavors, which are nostalgic with a modern twist. Others are designed to provide wow, maybe even shock value. And others are about forging a connection between brand and consumer in order to bring them some joy. 

Less than a mile from my home in Chicago is Pretty Cool Ice Cream. One of the shop’s recent limited editions was the Potato Skins Ice Cream Bar. It tasted just like the famous appetizer, but cold, and a bit creamier. Get inspired by checking out the menu HERE.

Perry’s Ice Cream has three new flavors exclusive to its scoop shops, which are located across New York, Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. Only one has some chocolate inclusions. 

Blueberry Cornbread is a fusion of honey ice cream, blueberry swirls and cornbread pieces, while Lavender Dream is a sophisticated blend of lavender vanilla ice cream complemented by ribbons of blackberry swirls. The NutHouse, a collaboration with Ohio State University Athletics, features sea salt caramel ice cream, brownie batter swirls and chunks of peanut butter cookie dough. The latter is also available at retail in a 1.5 quart container. The new flavors can also be purchased online via its website. 

Cold Case Ice Cream is only available online. It is a crime-inspired direct-to-consumer ice cream company breaking the mold with a growing cult following. All ice creams are limited edition, hand-crafted specialty flavors that are shipped in a solid -109.3°F frozen case with a chilling twist.  

Here’s what’s inside the new Break Free Limited Edition Premium Case. A gold “shovel” spoon to scoop out all of the evidence and leave no crumbs behind. One Cold Case Mystery Game, a family-friendly game based on the six suspects’ flavors. There’s also six pints of ice cream and their accompanying “incident report” detailing each mysterious flavor profile. 

The flavors are: 

• America’s Most Wanted: Creamy goat cheese meets rich blackberry jam, sliced almonds, brown sugar, honey and just a whisper of rosemary.  
• Cookie Mobster: A blue sweet cream base hides a stash of Oreo pieces, Famous Amos chocolate chip minis and those notorious pink-and-white Circus Animal cookies. 
• Huckleberry Pie Witness: Fresh huckleberries, jammy swirls, a buttery graham cracker pie crust and warming spice. 
• Illegal Fireworks: Cotton candy and vanilla ice cream rigged with Pop Rocks for an explosive finish, ignited by marshmallow swirls and detonated candy shards.
• Stone Cone Killer: Sweet cream ice cream laced with chunks of fudgy brownie, shards of chocolate-drenched waffle cone and thick veins of fudge swirl. 
• Summer Camp Massacre: Vanilla ice cream stuffed with graham crackers, brown sugar, chocolate shavings and a sticky swirl of marshmallow. 

This isn’t just an ice cream drop. It’s a story-forward, true-crime inspired brand that offers a full sensory experience. 

Speaking of sensory, Unilever’s UK ice cream brand Magnum continues to grow its Utopia novelty. The brand describes the stick bars as being multi-sensorial, as they are “marbled” and surrounded with a liquid sauce and enclosed in a coating.

Double Cherry offers a combination of marbled berry-flavored panna ice cream, drizzled in sour cherry coulis sauce and covered in the signature Magnum milk chocolate coating with crunchy, berry-flavored sugar pieces.

Double Hazelnut swirls hazelnut and caramel almond ice creams within a salted hazelnut sauce, coated in thick white chocolate studded with salted caramelized hazelnut, almond and pistachio pieces.

Euphoria Pink Lemonade is creamy lemon ice cream wrapped around an intense core of sweet raspberry sorbet, coated in white chocolate and bursts of raspberry crunch and popping candy. 

Friendly’s, a brand of Dairy Farmers of America, wants to connect with Gen Z through a collaboration with the Jonas Brothers. The trio are celebrating 20 years of music with their upcoming tour that kicks off on August 10 at MetLife Stadium. (I took my sons to see them 18 years ago. I am still recovering.) 

The new 20th Anniversary Flavor combines each brother’s favorite ice cream flavor--all side by side--in one 48-ounce tub. It’s Neapolitan with a twist. The flavor are: Kevin’s Coffee Cookie Crumble, Joe’s Chocolate Marshmallow Swirl and Nick’s Vanilla.

Hiland Dairy Foods is offering more than just fun-flavored ice cream this summer. It’s serving up a chance to win big. The Golden Ticket Giveaway, a promotional partnership with Silver Dollar City, invites families to celebrate the season with a scoop of fun and a sprinkle of adventure. Running from June 1 to July 27, the campaign features instant-win prizes, social media giveaways, and the ultimate grand prize: the Golden Ticket, which grants winners a memorable trip to Silver Dollar City. With a retro-inspired theme that evokes the magic of summer vacations and rollercoaster thrills, the campaign brings together two summertime favorites: ice cream and amusement parks. This summer Hiland’s three new ice cream flavors are: Chocolate Peanut Butter,  Strawberry Cheesecake and Cherry Cheesecake.

Graeter’s Ice Cream is riding the amusement park ice cream theme with the rollout of Beast Feast – Cookie Dough Unleashed. It is named after the iconic, record-setting wooden roller coaster at Kings Island. The cookie butter ice cream is packed with monster-sized chunks of sugar cookie dough and topped off with rainbow sprinkles. 

Beast Feast – Cookie Dough Unleashed is part of Graeter’s limited-edition summertime flavors inspired by classic bakery treats. The Bake Shop collection includes five other new flavors: Cinnamon Sticky Bun, Blueberry Lemon Crumble, Pineapple Passion Fruit Sorbet, Minty Brownie and Caramel Pecan Cheesecake.

Like Friendly’s, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is connecting with consumers through music, too. It’s all about that feeling when your favorite band takes the stage and time stops. Everything else falls away, you’re wholly present and in the moment, engaged with what’s happening right now, connected with those around you, and you feel fully alive. Jeni’s latest limited-edition flavor is a celebration of that exact feeling, inspired by the band Goose.

Goose Tracks is a riff on a nostalgic classic black raspberry chip. Except Jeni’s made it bolder by swapping black raspberries for juicier, more flavorful berries, including red raspberries and blackberries, and layering in bittersweet chocolate flakes. It’s both nostalgic and new, like hearing your favorite song played live for the first time. Other new flavors from Jeni’s include Pink Bubblegum, Root Beer Float and Toasted S’mores. 

“On a Venn diagram comparing Jeni’s and Goose, where the circles overlap would be called Things That Bring People Together and Make People Feel Good,” said Ryan Morgan, Jeni’s Head of Brand. “Music and ice cream are two of life’s greatest connectors. A live Goose show is about the joy of the moment and sparking the type of emotional connection that only comes through shared presence in real life. A Jeni’s experience is about the same thing.”

Because not everyone can afford a pint of Jeni’s during these inflationary times, The Kroger Co. decided to get bold with its limited-time Kroger Brand Summer in a Pint collection.

The four varieties and their stories are:  

• Fireside Nights: An elevated take on classic s’mores, this toasted marshmallow-flavored ice cream features s’mores pieces and a glittering swirl that radiates the orange hue of a campfire flame so campers and glampers can enjoy a bounty that does not require roughing it.  
• Italian Style Summer Fizz: Transporting taste buds to a carefree moment in the Euro summer sun, this blood orange-flavored sherbet is loaded with popping candy clusters and a blood orange-flavored ribbon.  
• Poolside Tan Lines: Mimicking the tan lines achieved after kicking back poolside, this flavor swirls together vanilla bean, chocolate and coffee ice creams.
• Sandy Shores: Like tropical waters cascading across shorelines, this coconut-flavored ice cream is reminiscent of crystal-blue seas and swirled with a sweet and salty pretzel crunch for a treat even better than a beach day.  

Take a break and grab a scoop of your favorite. Cheers! Oh, and by the way, Happy Friday the 13th!

IDDBA 2025: The Big Takeaway for Dairy

 

The record-breaking International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) 2025 show took place this week in New Orleans. The expo featured 1,000-plus exhibitors, with more than a fourth being first-timers. Many of those first timers were in the dairy space. 
That’s right, dairy, just like the dairy in IDDBA. For long, cheese was the main representation for that first D in IDDBA. That changed this year, which I believe is a reflection on the fact that dairy foods are hot, hot, hot right now, as consumers return to whole, minimally processed familiar foods. 

Products that debuted at the expo were featured this week as a Daily Dose of Dairy. There are more to come throughout the month of June. Keep your eyes out for protein pudding, on-the-go dairy dips, turmeric yogurt and refrigerated milk bars. 

The big takeaway is how dairy can be nutrient-dense treat that gives consumers permission to indulge. Single-serve desserts and refrigerated dips rocked the expo floor. 

During a panel discussion, Sarah Weise, chief executive officer of Bixa, a research consultancy firm, said that 97% of grocery shoppers see food as a way to treat themselves. They equate a treat to “me” time. 

Treats can be sweet as well as savory, hence the overwhelming number of desserts and dips that were showcased on the expo floor. 

Other trends can build into these little luxuries, including limited-time offerings, newstalgia and regionally/globally inspired flavors. Trending flavors include southern U.S. profiles, such as fried pickle and smoked brisket (both of which are available in dairy dips), Latin American flavors, such as Tajin and tres leches, and feta (as a flavor profile and as a carrier).

When it comes to newstalgia—something old and familiar with a new twist—it’s all about appealing to the shopper’s emotions, according to Karri Zwirlein, director of bakery, deli and prepared foods at Tops Market, who also spoke on the panel. “These consumers have had a very disruptive few years and they are looking for food that will remind them of a time when things weren’t so disruptive,” she said.

Disruption is not going away. Remind consumers that dairy is there for them.