Fosselmans

Fosselman's Ice Cream Company is a historic family-operated ice cream maker and retail parlor based in Alhambra, California. The present ice cream company dates to 1937, while its broader family-business history reaches back to 1919, when Christian Anthony Fosselman established Fosselman's, Inc. in Waverly, Iowa. The original Iowa operation manufactured ice cream before Fosselman moved with his family to Southern California in the 1920s. In Pasadena, Fosselman established a wholesale dairy business known as Fosselman Creamery. The company delivered milk, butter, cream, and ice cream directly to households across the San Gabriel Valley using its own delivery trucks. In 1937, he sold the creamery and created a new ice cream shop in South Pasadena, where products were made on the premises. The business subsequently expanded with storefronts in Highland Park and Glendale, while production was based in Alhambra. By the 1970s, the additional locations had closed, leaving the Alhambra site as the enduring retail and production center. Fosselman's has remained associated with traditional, in-house ice cream production and a broad flavor selection. Alongside familiar flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, the company has developed or carried flavors including taro, ube, lychee, black sesame, dulce de leche, horchata, matcha green tea, Oaxacan chocolate, and red bean. Seasonal offerings have included fresh peach, sweet corn elote, and watermelon sorbet. The flavor range reflects both classic American ice-cream traditions and the multicultural character of Alhambra, whose large Asian American population helped shape the company's product selection. The company has also operated as a wholesale supplier, serving approximately 500 outlets ranging from upscale restaurants and food trucks to retirement communities. In 2015, it broadened its shop menu with soft-serve ice cream, soft-serve custard, and milkshakes. In 2019, it opened an additional retail location called The Ice Cream Shop in Glendora. Since the 1980s, the business has been run by founder Christian Fosselman's grandsons, John and Chris Fosselman. Its identity combines local-retail nostalgia, family continuity, on-site production, and food-service distribution. The Alhambra parlor remains the central expression of the brand, while wholesale sales and the Glendora location extend its reach across Southern California.

Fosselman's family business history begins in 1919, when Christian Anthony Fosselman founded Fosselman's, Inc. in Waverly, Iowa. That early enterprise manufactured ice cream and established the family connection with frozen desserts. In 1924, Fosselman moved with his family to Southern California and created Fosselman Creamery in Pasadena. The creamery operated as a wholesale dairy business, supplying milk, butter, cream, and ice cream to households in the San Gabriel Valley through a fleet of company-owned delivery trucks. The current company was established in 1937, after Fosselman sold the creamery and opened an ice cream shop in South Pasadena. Unlike a simple retail counter, the shop made ice cream on its premises, a practice that became central to the company's identity. Further storefronts followed in Highland Park in 1941 and in Glendale, supported by a production facility in Alhambra. The satellite shops eventually closed during the 1970s, leaving the Alhambra location as both a production site and an ice cream parlor. The Alhambra operation developed within a community whose demographics influenced the company's flavor program. In addition to conventional flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, Fosselman's offered flavors including taro, lychee, ube, black sesame, horchata, matcha green tea, red bean, dulce de leche, and Oaxacan chocolate. Seasonal products included fresh peach, sweet corn elote, and watermelon sorbet. This combination of established favorites and culturally diverse flavors allowed the business to serve both long-standing local customers and a changing regional audience. The premises also had a connection to another emerging food brand in the 1970s. David Klein, who later became known for creating Jelly Belly jelly beans, rented part of the Fosselman's facility to promote and sell his early jelly-bean products. The association illustrates the company's role as a small but visible Southern California food-production site. Since the 1980s, founder Christian Fosselman's grandsons John and Chris Fosselman have operated the company. Under their management, Fosselman's continued serving retail customers while expanding its wholesale role. The company supplies approximately 500 outlets, including high-end restaurants, food trucks, and retirement homes, giving it a substantial food-service presence beyond its own parlors. In 2015, Fosselman's extended its retail menu with soft-serve ice cream, soft-serve custard, and milkshakes. In 2019, it opened The Ice Cream Shop in Glendora, creating a second contemporary retail presence while retaining the historic Alhambra location as the brand's principal home. The company remains active as a family-run ice cream producer and retailer with a regional wholesale network.

1. 2019Glendora location opens

   The company opens The Ice Cream Shop in Glendora.

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2. 2015Soft-serve and milkshake range launches

   Fosselman's adds soft-serve ice cream, soft-serve custard, and milkshakes.

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3. 1980Third-generation family management begins

   Grandsons John and Chris Fosselman take over operation of the family business during the 1980s.

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4. 1970Business consolidates around Alhambra

   During the 1970s, the South Pasadena, Highland Park, and Glendale locations close, leaving the Alhambra site as the continuing parlor and production center.

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5. 1941Highland Park storefront opens

   The company expands its retail footprint with a Highland Park location.

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6. 1937Present-day ice cream company is founded

   After selling the creamery, Fosselman opens an on-site ice cream-making shop in South Pasadena.

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7. 1924Fosselman moves to Southern California

   The family relocates to Southern California, where Christian Fosselman establishes the Pasadena-based Fosselman Creamery.

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8. 1919Family ice cream business begins in Iowa

   Christian Anthony Fosselman establishes Fosselman's, Inc. in Waverly, Iowa, manufacturing ice cream.

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A heritage Southern California ice cream maker positioned around family ownership, on-site production, neighborhood-retail authenticity, extensive flavor variety, and wholesale service to restaurants and institutional customers.

• Hard ice creamIce cream1937

  Fosselman's core product is traditionally made hard ice cream sold through its retail parlors and wholesale network. The range combines established flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry with specialty and seasonal choices. The company has been associated with flavors including taro, ube, lychee, black sesame, horchata, matcha green tea, red bean, dulce de leche, and Oaxacan chocolate.

• Soft-serve ice cream and custardFrozen desserts2015

  Introduced to the company's repertoire in 2015, soft-serve ice cream and soft-serve custard broadened Fosselman's offering beyond its traditional hard-ice-cream program. These products are designed for immediate service in the retail environment and complement the company's classic parlor format.

• MilkshakesBeverages2015

  Milkshakes were added alongside soft-serve products in 2015, extending the brand's dessert and beverage menu. They build on Fosselman's ice cream range and reinforce the company's role as a traditional neighborhood ice cream parlor.

• SorbetFrozen desserts

  Fosselman's carries sorbet among its frozen-dessert offerings, including seasonal fruit-oriented products such as watermelon sorbet. Sorbet adds a non-dairy-style option to the company's broader assortment.

• 2019Opening of The Ice Cream Shop in GlendoraStrategy

  Fosselman's continued operating its historic Alhambra parlor and serving wholesale customers across Southern California.

  What changed. The company opened a new retail branch called The Ice Cream Shop in Glendora.

  Aftermath. The opening extended the company's direct-to-consumer retail presence beyond Alhambra.

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• 2015Expansion into soft-serve and milkshakesProduct launch

  Fosselman's had historically been identified with traditionally made hard ice cream and parlor service.

  What changed. The company added soft-serve ice cream, soft-serve custard, and milkshakes to its product repertoire.

  Aftermath. The expansion diversified the retail menu while preserving the company's established ice-cream identity.

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• 2019Fosselman's opens The Ice Cream Shop in Glendora

  The company added a Glendora retail branch named The Ice Cream Shop.

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• 2015Fosselman's introduces soft-serve products and milkshakes

  The company expanded its offering to include soft-serve ice cream, soft-serve custard, and milkshakes.

  Product launch
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1. Fosselman's Ice Cream Company
2. Fosselman's Ice Cream Company official website