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Braum's

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Not to be confused with Brahms.
Braum's Inc.
Company typePrivate
Industry
Founded1968; 56 years ago (1968) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
FounderWilliam Henry "Bill" Braum
HeadquartersOklahoma City, Oklahoma,
U.S.
Number of locations
300+
Area served
  • United States
Key people
ProductsIce cream, soft serve, frozen yogurt, milkshakes, sundaes, hamburgers, chicken, french fries, soft drinks, salads
ServicesFast food restaurants
Ice cream parlor
Dairy store
RevenueIncreaseUS$5 billion (2021)
OwnerBraum family
Number of employees
8,000 as of December 2021
Websitebraums.com

Braum's Inc. is an American chain of ice cream parlor and fast food restaurants. Based in Oklahoma City, Braum's was founded in 1968 by William Henry "Bill" Braum in Oklahoma City. The company operates over 300 restaurants in 5 states, primarily in the Southern United States, namely the West South Central states of Oklahoma and Texas.

History

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A signature Braum's neon sign in Kansas

In 1957, William Henry "Bill" Braum[1] (1928–2020)[2] purchased his family's ice cream processing business based in Emporia, 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 in Oklahoma City, opening 24 stores in Oklahoma 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 of Ernest P. Worrell television commercials in the 1980s.

Stores

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In order to maintain the freshness of its products, the company does not open stores outside of a 300-mile (483 km) radius of the home farm in Tuttle, Oklahoma.[4] As of 2017, there are almost 300 stores in operation, with 128 stores in Oklahoma, 99 in Texas, 27 in Kansas and 13 in both Arkansas and Missouri.[5]

Products

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The restaurants serve ice cream, frozen yogurt, hamburgers, sandwiches, salads and breakfast items. Stores also include a grocery section called the "Fresh Market" featuring dairy products, baked goods, beverages, frozen entrees, meats and produce.[4][6][7][8]

Braum's is noteworthy for its level of vertical 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 flagship dairy farm in Tuttle, 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]

A2 Milk

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Braum's Family Farm is home to the largest A2 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, including lactose 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]

References

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  1. ^ "Bill Braum, founder of Braum's Ice Cream, Kansas native, dies at 92". Msn.com. 2020-03-25. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  2. ^ "Bill Braum, Kansas native and founder of Braum's Ice Cream, dies at age 92". www.bizjournals.com. March 25, 2020. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  3. ^ a b "Braum's Ice Cream!". Braum's. Archived from the original on 2007-09-02. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  4. ^ a b c d FAQ Archived 2007-12-17 at the Wayback Machine, Braum's. Accessed on line December 21, 2007.
  5. ^ Store Locator, Braum's. Accessed on line April 13, 2019.
  6. ^ Products Archived 2008-01-11 at the Wayback Machine, Braum's. Accessed on line December 21, 2007.
  7. ^ a b Braum's Ice Cream Co.: a different kind of dairy company, Dairy Foods, January 1, 1997. Accessed on line December 21, 2007.
  8. ^ Produce Sales Take Root at Oklahoma City-Area Braum's Dairy Stores, Chad Kile, Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News, June 10, 2003.
  9. ^ a b Doing fine in Oklahoma. (W.H. Braum Inc.), Dairy Foods, Jeff Reiter, December 1, 1994. Accessed on line December 21, 2007.
  10. ^ "Braum's Rolls Out A2 Fresh Milk Line". 24 February 2020.
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