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block, with the first floor taking up 109,000 square feet (10,100 m) and its second floor comprising 44,000 square feet (4,100 m). When D.S Abernethy's company
Merritt Foods closed down in 1991, Wells' Dairy bought the business, including Bomb Pops. The ice cream had remained largely a regional brand until 1992 when it began an aggressive program to expand nationally. The centerpiece of the expansion is a 900,000-square-foot (84,000 m) plant, which in addition to manufacturing includes a 12-story-tall freezer. The plant is referred to as the “South Ice Cream Plant” because of its physical location on the south side of Le Mars. Operating two ice cream plants in Le Mars, Wells is the world’s largest manufacturer of ice cream in one location (which in turn has prompted Le Mars to claim the title of “Ice Cream Capital of the World”).
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built in Le Mars in the 1950s for the manufacture of ice cream products. In 1963, the company constructed its Milk Plant. The family retained ownership and management of the business after it was incorporated under Iowa law in 1977 as Wells' Dairy, Inc. Fay and Fred Wells retired in
January 2001, leaving the positions of CEO, president and COO to Fay Wells' sons and the positions of executive vice president and vice president of retail sales to Fred Wells' sons.
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In the mid-1980s the firm's North Plant in Le Mars was enlarged through the purchase of five adjacent lots. New production lines, a mix department, and a high-rise freezer helped the company double the North Plant's capability. After completion, the expanded plant covered the equivalent of one city
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After Fred H. Wells, Jr. died in 1954, his sons, Harold, Mike, Roy and Fay, and their cousin Fred D. Wells, son of Harry Cole Wells, ran the family business as a partnership. Meanwhile, new facilities were added in the postwar period. For example, the main part of the company, the North Plant, was
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The newly incorporated business expanded in the 1980s. New corporate offices were added in 1980, and Wells built new facilities for its growing fleet of trucks used to deliver milk around Iowa. In 1983, Wells purchased an Omaha plant and after being remodeled, it processed milk, yogurt and fruit
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In 1935, the Wells family decided to sell ice cream in Sioux City again. Unable to sell their product under their own name "Wells", they decided to hold a “Name That Ice Cream” contest in the Sioux City
Journal. A Sioux City man won the $ 25 cash prize for the winning entry of “Blue Bunny” after
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In
November 2007, Mike Wells was named CEO of Wells. In 2008, Wells Enterprises launched the Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope Program in partnership with the Jimmie Johnson Foundation. It allows consumers across the United States to nominate educational charities to receive a $ 25,000 grant.
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Around 1925, Wells and his sons began manufacturing ice cream and selling it in neighboring Iowa towns: Remsen, Alton and Sioux City. In 1928 Fairmont Ice Cream purchased the ice cream distribution system in Sioux City along with the right to use the Wells name.
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and several private label brands. In addition, Wells is the licensee for Weight
Watchers Ice Cream. In 2007 and 2008, Wells sold its cultured dairy and fluid milk business to
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In 2003, an ice cream plant in St. George, Utah was opened to better meet the west coast market. In 2014 Wells announced it would be closing the St. George, UT facility.
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Fred H. Wells Jr. opened a milk route in 1913 in Le Mars after purchasing a horse, delivery wagon, and a few cans and jars for $ 250 from local dairy farmer Ray Bowers.
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is an
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noticing how much his son enjoyed the blue bunnies in a department store window at Easter.
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Wells' Dairy to build new plant in Utah - Allbusiness.com - January 2002
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Wells is the second largest ice cream maker in the United States behind
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142:. Wells produces the Blue Bunny brand, along with 2nd St. Creamery,
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On 7 December 2022, the company announced its acquisition by
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339:(1): 9. 2001 – via Business Source Complete.
311:"History of Wells' Dairy, Inc. – FundingUniverse"
273:"Mexican company buys Wells' Omaha yogurt plant"
381:"Blue Bunny ice cream plant closing its doors"
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329:"Fay & Fred Wells Retire from Blue Bunny"
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980:Privately held companies based in Iowa
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394:Dreeszen, Dave (15 November 2007).
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524:Weight Watchers Ice Cream website
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465:"2018 Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope"
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150:and its yogurt business to
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189:Original flavor Bomb Pop
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125:Wells Enterprises, Inc.
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31:Wells Enterprises, Inc.
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687:Ferrara Candy Company
589:Ferrara Candy Company
352:"Ode to the Bomb Pop"
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131:. It is the maker of
27:American food company
876:Blue Bunny Ice Cream
239:. Sioux City Journal
261:. 20 December 2007.
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916:Pietro Ferrero Jr.
846:Kinder Happy Hippo
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519:Blue Bunny website
485:. 7 December 2022.
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275:. 23 January 2008.
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72:Headquarters
36:Company type
995:Ferrero SpA
783:Laffy Taffy
763:Jelly Belly
742:Famous Amos
609:Royal Dansk
579:Eat Natural
560:Ferrero SpA
333:Dairy Foods
135:ice cream.
107:Ferrero SpA
18:Wells Dairy
959:Categories
851:Kinder Joy
818:Trolli USA
768:Jujyfruits
759:Jawbusters
584:Fannie May
208:References
152:Grupo Lala
148:Dean Foods
133:Blue Bunny
91:Key people
67:Fred Wells
907:(founder)
788:Lemonhead
712:Baby Ruth
694:100 Grand
673:Raffaello
658:Mon Chéri
614:Thorntons
514:Corporate
934:Category
880:Bomb Pop
808:Red Hots
803:Rain-Blo
756:Funables
732:Chuckles
243:20 April
144:Bomb Pop
140:Unilever
944:Commons
778:Keebler
773:Jujubes
722:Brach's
678:Tic Tac
663:Nutella
449:11 July
424:11 July
356:LJWorld
290:"Wells"
178:juice.
158:History
113:Website
64:Founder
54: (
46:Founded
40:Private
898:People
828:Kinder
737:Chunky
727:Crunch
637:Brands
793:Nerds
103:Owner
451:2021
426:2021
419:KMEG
245:2020
83:U.S.
56:1913
49:1913
337:102
97:CEO
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
