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.jpg) Braum's location inCommerce, Texas | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 1968; 57 years ago (1968) inOklahoma City,Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Founder | William Henry "Bill" Braum |
| Headquarters | Oklahoma City,Oklahoma, U.S. |
Number of locations | 300+ |
Area served |
|
Key people | |
| Products | Ice cream,soft serve,frozen yogurt,milkshakes,sundaes,hamburgers, chicken,french fries,soft drinks,salads |
| Services | Fast food restaurants Ice cream parlor Dairy store |
| Revenue |  US$5 billion (2021) |
| Owner | Braum family |
Number of employees | 8,000 as of December 2021[update] |
| Website | braums.com |
Braum's Inc. is an American chain ofice cream parlor andfast food restaurants. Based inOklahoma City, Braum's was founded in 1968 by William Henry "Bill" Braum inOklahoma City. The company operates over 300 restaurants in 5 states, primarily in theSouthern United States, namely theWest South Central states ofOklahoma andTexas.
In 1957, William Henry "Bill" Braum[1] (1928–2020)[2] purchased his family's ice cream processing business based inEmporia,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.[3]
Having kept the family dairy herd and ice cream processing business, Braum and his wife Mary started the Braum's chain in 1968 inOklahoma City, opening 24 stores inOklahoma during the first year. Braum's brought products from its Emporia headquarters to Oklahoma for the first few years, later opening facilities in Oklahoma and moving the herd there in 1975.[3]
Braum's ran a series ofErnest P. Worrell television commercials in the 1980s.
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 inTuttle, Oklahoma.[4] As of 2024, there are over 300 stores in operation, with 128 stores inOklahoma, 99 inTexas, 27 inKansas and 13 in bothArkansas andMissouri.[5]
The restaurants serveice cream,frozen yogurt,hamburgers,sandwiches,salads and breakfast items. Stores also include a grocery section called the "Fresh Market" featuringdairy products, baked goods, beverages, frozen entrees, meats and produce.[4][6][7][8]
Braum's is noteworthy for its level ofvertical integration. Almost all the food products sold at Braum's are processed or manufactured directly by the company; Braum's owns its own feed mill, dairy herd, dairy processing plant, bakery, stores, and delivery trucks. It also owns eight farms and ranches with a total area of 40,000 acres (160 km2), as well as its flagshipdairy farm inTuttle,Oklahoma. The dairy farm has specified times during which it is open for public tours and is a popular destination for school field trips.[4][7][9] Braum's describes itself as the only major ice cream maker to still milk its own cows. They also produce the packaging used for their dairy products.[4][9]
Braum's Family Farm is home to the largestA2 milk dairy herd in the United States. A1 and A2 are genetic variants of the beta-casein milk protein. Most cow milk is A1. Non-cow milk, including that of buffalo, camels, donkeys, goats, sheep, yaks and even human mothers are mostly A2, which limits exposure to "cow milk protein allergies, includinglactose intolerance". It took over 12 years to build the A2 herd. With the established A2 herd, Braum’s is now producing only A2 milk for sale in its own Braum’s stores.[10]
