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Fred H. Wells Jr. Starts His Buisness
After moving back from Chicago, Fred H. Wells Jr. decided to start a business selling milk. He paid $250 for a horse, milk cart, and a few cans of milk. Wells built his business by delivering milk every day to homes using his horse and wagon. -
Wells and His Son Start Selling Ice Cream
Fred H. Wells and his son started selling ice cream in LeMars, Iowa. Their ice cream ended up being very popular and the Wells Ice Cream Company began selling in other nearby cities. -
Fred H. and Harry C.Wells Sell Ice Cream Together
Fred H. Wells and his brother Harry C. Wells work together to sell their ice cream in the larger city of Sioux City, Iowa, located about 25 miles south of where Fred H. Wells had been previously selling his ice cream. -
Wells Brothers Sell Their Company
In 1928 Fred H. and Harry C. Wells sold their ice cream company to Fairmont Ice Cream. Along with buying the Wells's ice cream distribution system they also took the rights to use the Wells in any future products. -
The Wells Brothers Sell Ice Cream Again
Seven years after selling the ice cream company the brothers decided they wanted to start making ice cream again. Because of the deal they had made with Fairmont Ice Cream, they were unable to use the name "Wells" in their company name. When deciding on a new name for the brand they did a "Name That Ice Cream Contest", and the winning name ended up being Blue Bunny. -
Blue Bunny Began Expanding
After only a year Blue Bunny was growing in size. They were able to build a continuous ice cream freezer that made up to 150 gallons of ice cream per hour. The company began hiring new employees to help make the ice cream, and other Wells family memebers started working for the company as production managers and delivery drivers. One of the most impressive things that Blue Bunny was able to do was use their money wisley and avoid debt, which has helped the company continue to stay in buisness. -
Blue Bunny Continued Production in WWII
In World War II some of the employees of Blue Bunny including some of the Wells family members were deployed in the war, but many were exempt because they worked as essential employees in the food industry. Even though there was a war going on Blue Bunny continued to progress, and even had one of its employees elected as the president of the Association of Ice Cream Manufacturers of Iowa. -
Fred H. Wells Dies
After Fred H. Wells's death in 1954, his sons and his nephews (Harry C. Wells's sons) took over Blue Bunny and continued to help grow the company. -
Post War Expansion
After the war and the death of Fred H. Wells Blue Bunny still pressed forward and continued building. In the mid-1950s the North Plant was built; this building was important for making all of the ice cream. Along with that, they also built the LeMars Milk Plant in 1963. Both of the bulidings are still in use today. -
Blue Bunny Became an Incorporated Company
After 54 years, Blue Bunny became an incorporated business. After its incorporation, the Wells family was still able to own and manage Blue Bunny under the new title Wells Family Inc. -
Blue Bunny's First Logo Change
After 70 years Blue Bunny decided to change its logo. The original logo was in black and white and was fairly detailed, the new Blue Bunny logo was quite different though, being more minimalist and using both blue and red for its colors. -
New Factory in Nebraska
After its incorporation in 1977, the Blue Bunny grew rapidly. They were able to buy delivery trucks, hire new employees, and add new corporate offices. Most impressively though, they were able to buy a new plant in Omaha, Nebraska. This new plant processed milk, yogurt, and fruit juice. Throughout the 1980s Blue Bunny had some of its biggest growth. -
North Plant Expansion
Back in LeMars, Iowa, in the mid-1980s, Blue Bunny continued growing. At the original North Plant, they added an expansion of five nearby lots. In the new addition, there were production lines, a mixing department, and a high-rise freezer. After the new expansion the North Plant was the size of a city block. -
Selling in New States
Going into 1990, Blue Bunny had grown substantially. With plants in two different states, they had the ability to sell all over the USA. The small Iowa company was now retailing its ice cream in 27 different states. At the time, Blue Bunny had over 1,000 employees. -
Blue Bunny Buys Merritt Foods
Wells Family Inc. purchased Merritt Foods after it went out of business in 1991. Merritt Foods was created in 1955 by James S. Merritt and Doc Abernathy, and was the creator of the popular frozen treat, the Bomb Pop. After buying Merrit Foods, Wells Food Inc. was able to go into the vending business. -
Blue Bunny Builds a South Plant
After purchasing 112 acres of land Blue Bunny decided to build another ice cream plant. The plan for this new plant was to be similar to the original north plant, but was going to be bigger, and be able to make foods faster. -
South Plant Opens
Wells Family Inc. had big plans for its new plant. They wanted to be used to make new desserts, and produce 20 million gallons of ice cream each year. The plant was built with a 600,000 loan and when built had 240 new employees. The new South Plant made its first ice cream, July 2, 1992. -
New Blue Bunny Logo
After only fourteen years blue bunny changed its logo again. The new logo says Blue Bunny and has a picture of a blue bunny jumping over the text. -
Blue Bunny Charged 1 Million for Milk Fixing Prices
Wells Family Inc. and another Minnesota company were fined 1 million dollars each for price-fixing milk in public schools. -
Wells Family Inc. has Annual Revenue $530 Million
After its growth with opening new factories and buying new companies, Wells Family Inc. became extremely successful. In 1999 Wells Family Inc.'s annual income reached a new high of $530 million. -
Blue Bunny Working With Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream
After a Pilsburry plant closed in 199 that made Haagen-Dazs ice cream, Blue Bunny then made their own contract with Haagen-Dazs and began making their pints of ice cream and bulk products. Because of the new partnership, Blue Bunny needed to expand their newer South Plant by 120,000 square feet. -
Hard to Find Milk for a Large Company
After the massive amounts of growth, Blue Bunny was finding it difficult to have enough milk to make the ice cream they were rapidly producing. Blue Bunny preferred to use milk that was taken from within 150 miles of LeMars, Iowa, where the main plants were located. There were around 65,000 cows used for milk at Blue Bunny. Even though they preferred to have local milk, Blue Bunny ended up needing some milk shipped from as far as California. -
Wells Family Inc. is an International Brand
By 1999 Wells Family Inc. had factories in five states: Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, Arizona, and Missouri. Their Blue Bunny ice cream was now a household name, being sold in all 50 states and 30 counties including: Mexico, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. The company had over 2,200 employees and 200 smi trucks. -
Explosion in the South Plant
During the 120,000 square foot expansion of the South Plant, there was an explosion. This explosion caused the plant that was planned to be 500,000 square feet to shut down for two months. -
Ice Cream Capital of the World Visitor Center is Opened
Since its creation in 1913 Blue Bunny has stayed a family business. In 2000 the owners of Wells Family Inc. wanted to open a Blue Bunny history center located in the company's hometown of LeMars, Iowa. They wanted to call the visitor center the ice cream capital of the world because, LeMars produces the most ice cream in one location. The Ice Cream Capital of the World Visitor Center has even has a restored dairy truck among other things. -
Blue Bunny Ranks 465 of 500 in Forbes Top 500 Private Companies
After 1999's successful year, Forbes ranked Blue Bunny 465 out of 500 in their top 500 private companies list. Their success in the previous year was linked to the fact they had done major rebranding regarding their logo, and had done radio and TV advertisements. -
Blue Bunny Starts Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope
In 2008 Blue Bunny teamed together with Jimmie Johnson Foundation to make the Blue Bunny Helmets of Hope foundation. The goal of the charity is to work with schools to help provide kids with better education. -
Visitor Center Expansion
After only 11 years Blue Bunny moved and renovated its visitor center. The new location of the Blue Bunny Parlor is on the main street in LeMars, Iowa. They also bade the center larger and it is now 12,000 square feet. -
100th Anniversary Gift
For its 100th anniversary, Blue Bunny decided to give back and work with the Make a Wish foundation. Because Blue Bunny was open for 100 years they granted 100 wishes for kids with life-threatening illnesses by partnering with the Make a Wish foundation. -
Blue Bunny Closes Utah Plant
Blue Bunny decided to close its plant in StGeorge, Utah. When closing the ice cream plant they had to fire 90-100 employees. According to Blue Bunny, they made the decision to close the plant because they wanted to produce more ice cream in LeMars to optimize the existing capacity. -
New Blue Bunny Logo
After 20 years, Blue Bunny changed its logo again. The new logo is still being used today, it is a simple design that reads Blue Bunny but the B in both words looks like a bunny. The goal of the new logo was to make it so you could see inside easier. -
Blue Bunny Continues to Grow
As of 2021, Blue Bunny produces over 100 million gallons of ice cream per year, or 250,000 gallons per day. Their storage freezer is 12 stories high and the size of a city block. Right now, there are 70 different ice cream flavors, but vanilla is still the most popular.