
T. Ozbun
Research expert covering food retail and all food topics for Italy and Brazil
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The global ice cream market was worth ** billion U.S. dollars in 2017 and is expected to grow to nearly ** billion by 2024. This represents an over ** percent increase in market size over the period. Unilever was the market leader in ice cream manufacturing worldwide.
Ice cream鈥檚 history
In the 12th century, Marco Polo returned to Italy from his travels to Asia with a recipe that was akin to the modern sherbet. Historians claim that this recipe developed into ice cream during the 16th century. 鈥淐ream ice鈥 was known to be a favorite dessert of Charles I during the 17th century. A similar dessert was introduced to France by Catherine de Medici when she married Henry II. Ice cream was first made available to the public around 1660. In the United States, the earliest account of ice cream came from a letter in 1744, and the dessert was first advertised in the New York Gazette in 1777. Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were also known to be avid fans of the rare and exotic dessert. In 1851, Jacob Fussell, a milk dealer from Baltimore, began manufacturing ice cream.
America鈥檚 favorite brands
In the United States, Breyer鈥檚 and Ben & Jerry鈥檚 had the highest sales of all ice cream brands. Both brands are owned by Unilever. A recent survey on consumers鈥 preferred ice cream brands backed up these sales figures, as nearly half of respondents stated that they regularly purchased Breyer鈥檚 ice cream.
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Market overview
Production
International trade
Retail sales
Consumer behavior
* For commercial use only
Basic Account
Starter Account
The statistic on this page is a Premium Statistic and is included in this account.
Professional Account
1 All prices do not include sales tax. The account requires an annual contract and will renew after one year to the regular list price.