Braum's

Braum's Inc.
TypePrivate
Industry
Founded1968; 58 years ago (1968) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
FounderWilliam Henry "Bill" Braum
HeadquartersOklahoma City, Oklahoma,
U.S.
Number of locations
300+
Area served
  • United States
Key people
ProductsIce cream, soft serve, frozen yogurt, milkshakes, sundaes, hamburgers, chicken, french fries, soft drinks, salads
ServicesFast food restaurants
Ice cream parlor
Dairy store
RevenueIncreaseUS$5 billion (2021)
OwnerBraum family
Number of employees
8,000 as of December 2021
Websitebraums.com

Braum's Inc. is an American chain of ice cream parlor, fast food restaurants, and grocery stores. Based in Oklahoma City, Braum's was founded in 1968 by William Henry "Bill" Braum in Oklahoma City. The company operates over 300 restaurants in 5 states, primarily in the Southern United States, namely the West South Central states of Oklahoma and Texas.

History

A Braum's neon sign in Kansas

In 1957, William Henry "Bill" Braum (1928–2020) purchased his family's ice cream processing business based in Emporia, Kansas, as well as its "Peter Pan" retail ice cream chain; ten years later, the Peter Pan stores were sold, under the condition that the Braum family would not sell ice cream in Kansas for ten years.

After keeping the family dairy herd and ice cream processing business, Braum and his wife, Mary, started the Braum's chain in 1968 in Oklahoma City, opening 24 stores in Oklahoma in the first year. For the first few years, Braum's brought products from its Emporia headquarters to Oklahoma, then opened facilities in Oklahoma and moved the herd there in 1975.

Braum's ran a series of Ernest P. Worrell television commercials in the 1980s.

Stores

In order to maintain the freshness of its products, the company does not open stores outside of a 330-mile (483 km) radius of the home farm in Tuttle, Oklahoma. As of 2026, there are 327 total stores in operation, with 146 stores in Oklahoma (45%), 120 in Texas (37%), 32 in Kansas (10%), 15 in Missouri (5%), and 14 stores in Arkansas (4%).

Products

The restaurants serve ice cream, frozen yogurt, hamburgers, sandwiches, salads and breakfast items. Stores also include a grocery section called the "Fresh Market" featuring dairy products, baked goods, beverages, frozen entrees, meats and produce.

Braum's is noteworthy for its level of vertical integration. Braum's processes or manufactures almost all the food products it sells; it owns its own feed mill, dairy herd, dairy processing plant, bakery, stores, and delivery trucks. It also owns eight farms and ranches totaling 40,000 acres (160 km2), as well as its flagship dairy farm in Tuttle, Oklahoma. The dairy farm has set times when it is open for public tours and is a popular destination for school field trips. Braum's describes itself as the only major ice cream maker that still milks its own cows. It also produces the packaging used for its dairy products.

A2 milk

Braum's Family Farm has the largest A2 milk dairy herd in the United States. A1 and A2 are genetic variants of the beta-casein milk protein. It took over 12 years to build the A2 herd. With the A2 herd, Braum’s now produces only A2 milk for sale in its own stores.

References

  1. ↑ "Bill Braum, founder of Braum's Ice Cream, Kansas native, dies at 92". Msn.com. March 25, 2020. Archived from the original on December 21, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Bill Braum, Kansas native and founder of Braum's Ice Cream, dies at age 92". www.bizjournals.com. March 25, 2020. Archived from the original on December 21, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Braum's Ice Cream!". Braum's. Archived from the original on September 2, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  4. 1 2 3 4 FAQ Archived December 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Braum's. Accessed December 21, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Number of Braums locations in the USA in 2026". ScrapeHero. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  6. ↑ Products Archived January 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Braum's. Accessed on line December 21, 2007.
  7. 1 2 Braum's Ice Cream Co.: a different kind of dairy company, Dairy Foods, January 1, 1997. Accessed December 21, 2007.
  8. ↑ Produce Sales Take Root at Oklahoma City-Area Braum's Dairy Stores, Chad Kile, Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News, June 10, 2003.
  9. 1 2 Doing fine in Oklahoma. (W.H. Braum Inc.), Dairy Foods, Jeff Reiter, December 1, 1994. Accessed December 21, 2007.
  10. ↑ "Braum's Rolls Out A2 Fresh Milk Line". February 24, 2020. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2020.