Our partners

We make ice cream to bring people together. It’s our reason for being and we operate as a community—in partnership with the growers, makers, and producers who supply us with ingredients. The people and companies who make Jeni’s ice creams possible aren’t anonymous accounts; they’re our partners. And we couldn’t run our company without them. This is what we call The Fellowship Model.

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Milk from family-run dairies

Dairy is the foundation of everything we do, so we use the best we can find. Smith’s, the century-old dairy in Orrville, Ohio, has been sourcing raw cream and grass-grazed milk and pasteurizing it for us for years. They work with small family farms within 200 miles of our kitchen.

Dairy by the numbers

  • 4,659,638
    Pounds of pasture-based milk sourced from family-run dairies in 2023.
  • 86,325
    Pounds of buttermilk sourced in 2023.
  • 56,640
    Pounds of yogurt made for us in 2023.

uncle nearest

Uncle Nearest is a Shelbyville, Tennessee-based distillery that honors the legacy of Nearest Green, the first known African-American master distiller. Green taught Jack Daniel the craft of distilling. Each small batch whiskey blend is curated by fifth-generation Green descendant and Master Blender, Victoria Eady Butler. Founded in 2017 and currently led by CEO Fawn Weaver (pictured), Uncle Nearest whiskey has won more than 350 awards, including the title of “World’s Best” by World Whiskies Awards two years in a row. We partner with Uncle Nearest to give flavors like Boozy Eggnog and Hot Toddy Sorbet a smooth, delicate whiskey taste.

THE PEACH TRUCK

There’s nothing like the fragrance, flavor, and texture of fresh, in-season, tree-ripened peaches. Thanks to our friends at The Peach Truck out of Nashville we can get our hands on some of that wonderful bounty. Their mission is to bring fresh, impossibly flavorful peaches from family-run farms throughout the South to the masses. Which we then turn into beautiful peach ice creams every year, including Sweet Cream Biscuits & Peach Jam.

HIRSCH FRUIT FARM

Jeni first met fourth-generation farmer Mike Hirsch at a farmers market in Columbus. More than two decades later, Mike is still growing unique produce just for us on his more than 125-year-old family farm in Chillicothe, Ohio, including berries for Strawberry Buttermilk, buttercup pumpkin, and vine-ripened blackberries.

Fresh fruit by the numbers

  • 88,000
    Pounds of peaches sourced in 2023 from The Peach Truck.
  • 20,248
    Pounds of Ohio strawberries sourced to make Strawberry Buttermilk ice cream.
  • 5,080
    Pounds of blackberries sourced from Hirsch Fruit Farm in 2023.

INTELLIGENTSIA COFFEE

Founded in 1995 and based in Chicago, Intelligentsia is recognized as an industry pioneer for its creation of the Direct Trade purchasing model. We could not be more proud to work with them to make Coffee with Cream & Sugar ice cream.

MIDDLE WEST SPIRITS

Our longtime friends at Middle West Spirits hand-select barrels of single-origin, soft red winter wheat whiskey just for us to fold into Middle West Whiskey & Pecans ice cream.

MACKENZIE CREAMERY

Northeast Ohio’s Mackenzie Creamery, run by Jean Mackenzie and her son, Rob DeMuch, churns out the naturally tangy goat cheese we use in Goat Cheese With Red Cherries. Mackenzie’s cheese is made in small batches with 100% hormone-free milk. Simply put, it’s some of the best goat cheese we’ve ever tasted.

Watershed Distillery

Watershed Distillery’s apple brandy makes the flavors of our Brandied Banana Brûlée ice cream come alive. Made with apples grown within 150 miles of the distillery and aged for 2 years in charred oak barrels, their brandy is smooth and buttery with warm notes of vanilla.

Slingshot Coffee

Built on a foundation of  quality, knowledge, and innovation, Slingshot Coffee meticulously sources organic, directly traded coffees that they brew into mighty delicious cold brew and coffee sodas. This includes two coffees for us! A blend that stars in our dairy-free Cold Brew with Coconut Cream. And an Italian roast cold brew made specially to pair with ice cream. The latter is featured in our L’affogato—a refreshing take on the Italian classic (don’t miss the Classico made with Salty Caramel). Now available in scoop shops nationwide!

Fellowship by the numbers

  • 1,214
    Pounds of whiskey sourced from Uncle Nearest in 2023.
  • 11,870
    Pounds of Direct Trade coffee beans from Intelligentsia in 2023.
  • 4,441
    Pounds of fresh Mackenzie Creamery goat cheese to make Goat Cheese with Red Cherries in 2023.