Handel’s Ice Cream CEO outlines progress technique whereas preserving custom

Handel’s Do-it-yourself Ice Cream is getting into a brand new section of progress underneath CEO Jennifer Schuler, who says the 80-year-old model is concentrated on balancing growth with long-standing custom.

Schuler, who was appointed to take the helm in March 2024, instructed FOX Enterprise she is deliberately taking a measured strategy because the Ohio-founded chain appears to be like to develop. 

“I’ve heard individuals say, if you’re becoming a member of a brand new model or enterprise, do not are available in and cannonball within the pool and ship splash waves,” Schuler instructed FOX Enterprise. “Begin by placing your toe within the water and getting a really feel for it — and that is very true with hospitality manufacturers and types which can be…80 years [old].”

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Based in 1945 by Alice Handel as a single neighborhood store, the corporate constructed its status on handcrafted ice cream. A long time later, entrepreneur Lenny Fisher expanded the enterprise by franchising, based on the corporate’s web site.

Now, in what Schuler describes as its “third period,” Handel’s is concentrated on additional scaling nationally whereas sustaining its core identification.

“We’re simply stewards of it,” Schuler stated. “… My job is to take what was true about it 80 years in the past and ensure we’re carrying that ahead with time.”

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An exterior view of a Handel’s Do-it-yourself Ice Cream location. (Handel’s Do-it-yourself Ice Cream)

The corporate has grown to roughly 175 areas, with franchising remaining central to its technique. Nonetheless, Schuler emphasised that Handel’s has a extremely selective strategy.

“We now have a really excessive bar for the franchise companions that we herald and speak lots concerning the values of the enterprise and the imaginative and prescient we’ve for the enterprise,” she stated.

Schuler additionally famous that there’s nonetheless important room for growth.

“There are a whole lot of thrilling instances forward for the model and a whole lot of potential to develop as a result of there’s a lot white house,” she stated. “But, you might have this confirmed historical past of the model that simply sort of retains on chugging.”

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Pints of Handel’s Do-it-yourself Ice Cream are proven in a wide range of basic flavors. (Handel’s Do-it-yourself Ice Cream)

In a aggressive dessert market, Handel’s is prioritizing consistency over developments.

“You are not going to see us introduce, like, a fig and olive sort of taste. … I guess there are some manufacturers on the market that do it nice — We’re not going to try this,” Schuler stated. “…. We’re going to do issues which can be very basic and ship on these flavors very, very nicely.”

Schuler stated her management strategy was formed partly by a year-long break after leaving Wetzel’s Pretzels, when she mirrored on what she needed in her subsequent function.

Assorted flavors of Handel’s Do-it-yourself Ice Cream are displayed with toppings and serving utensils. (Handel’s Do-it-yourself Ice Cream)

“I needed to be a part of a model that I assumed could possibly be particular in a group — a gathering place in a world the place there’s extra disconnection,” she stated.

That imaginative and prescient aligns with Handel’s identification, which Schuler believes units it aside within the digital world.

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“Particularly in instances of uncertainty, when persons are feeling unsure concerning the inventory market or international conflicts, we typically discover that is when the ice cream enterprise is simply as regular and powerful as ever, as a result of it is the little pleasures in life that I feel individuals search out.”