The Journey of Greatness of Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins

Ice cream is one of the foods many people love to eat because of its tasty and cool flavor on summer days but have you ever considered which ice cream company is the largest of them all. Even though there are many ice cream companies, there is one with the largest ice cream chain franchise globally and has many ice cream shops around the world. Though this famous ice cream shop didn’t become great overnight, it took a very long time to get where it is today. Not all famous industries or businesses are born great, they have to work their way while fighting against all the other businesses that were trying to become great as well. This ice cream company is called Baskin-Robbins which went through many things to get to the level they are today, and the creators of Baskin-Robbins are Burton Baskin and Irvine Robbins who worked together to get to where they are today.

Early Life and Childhood

Burton Baskin was born on December 17, 1913, in Streator, Illinois, his parents were Harold Baskin and Mrs. Harry Baskin. He grew up there and graduated from Streator Township High School in 1931 and the University of Illinois in 1935, and enlisted in the Navy to fight for his country as Patrol Wing 1. Irvine Robbins was born on December 6, 1917, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. His father owned an ice cream shop, Irv spent his day working in his father’s ice cream shop, and Irv Robbins enjoyed it because he could see all the happy customer’s faces once they ate the ice cream of his father’s shop. Just like Burt, he enlisted in the U.S Army as a sergeant during World War II and got discharged in August 1945 (Burton Baskin & Irvine Robbins).

Beginnings

Irv Robbins created his ice cream shop at a very young age because he enjoyed seeing the smiles on the customer’s faces when they ate his father’s ice cream (Nelson). This inspired him to make his ice cream during his free time, he eventually finished his ice cream and gave them to some stores to sell (Nelson). The stores didn’t give him credit for it, but he took this as a half win because he got his ice cream into the stores to sell. Burt Baskin started to get interested in ice cream making when he was in the Navy as one of the pilots (Baskin, Burton & Robbins, Irvine). Burt Baskin would make ice cream out of the tropical fruits his crewmates got from the islands they went to on missions (Baskin, Burton & Robbins, Irvine). Burt got an ice cream freezer from an aircraft carrier supply officer to make ice cream and shared it with his crewmates in the Navy (Baskin, Burton & Robbins, Irvine). When he got discharged from the Navy he opened a men’s store but got convinced by Irv Robbins to open his ice cream shop because it would be fun(Baskin, Burton & Robbins, Irvine). Burt agreed to open an ice cream shop and named it “Burton's Ice Cream” and they decided to open more shops (Baskin, Burton & Robbins, Irvine). Burt and Irv liked making ice cream for their customers, and thirty-one flavors for all the days in the month for the customer to get different flavors of ice cream each day(Baskin, Burton & Robbins, Irvine). Burt and Irv both liked making ice cream for their customers, seeing their happy faces when they are eating their ice cream, and that everyone is enjoying it(Baskin, Burton & Robbins, Irvine).

Accomplishments

Burt and Irv have made many ice cream flavors throughout the years of building up their business for their customers to get to pick different flavors of ice cream every day when they go to their ice cream shops (Burton Baskin & Irvine Robbins). Baskin-Robbins have made over one-thousand-three-hundred flavors of ice cream over the past years of building up their ice cream shop (Burton Baskin & Irvine Robbins). Burt and Irv have made many shops across countries in the United States for everyone to enjoy, either they have come a long way to taste the ice cream or have just walked two blocks to get their favorite ice cream (Baskin, Burton & Robbins, Irvine). When Burt and Irv opened their first ice cream shop they wanted to open more shops for more people to enjoy, and so they built more shops for other people to enjoy (Baskin, Burton & Robbins, Irvine). Baskin-Robbins have made many different flavors for different occasions like when The Dodgers came back from their game in Los Angeles, Burt and Irv were waiting for them with a new flavor just for them called “Baseball Nut” (Burton Baskin & Irvine Robbins). Ever since Burton Baskin and Irvine Robbins started their business in 1945, Glendale, CA, they have been building up to the point where they became the world’s largest ice cream franchise store because they kept doing what they loved. Different Baskin-Robbins shops have been sold to many different businesses back in the day because Burt and Irv didn’t have enough time to take care of all of their shops, so they sold some of their shops to different businesses, and they added things to it that made more customers come and eat Baskin-Robbins ice cream (Baskin, Burton & Robbins, Irvine). Baskin-Robbins have made many flavors, and so many shops that it has attracted many customers around the world to come and try the ice cream Baskin-Robbins have made just for them to try different flavors for different days they want to eat ice cream at Baskin-Robbins (Burton Baskin & Irvine Robbins).

Baskin-Robbins made many different ice cream flavors when there were special occasions they made ice cream for special people like the football players they greeted with a new ice cream flavor just for them, they called that flavor “Quarterback Crunch (Burton Baskin & Irvine Robbins). Baskin-Robbins have accomplished many things throughout the years like when they started to open hundreds of stores around the world for everyone to taste their ice cream, and not travel far from their home to get a taste (Baskin, Burton & Robbins, Irvine). The biggest accomplishment Baskin-Robbins had was becoming the world’s largest ice cream specialty store because they kept adding stores, ice cream flavors to their company, and sold their company to different people who gave it their unique touch (Burton Baskin & Irvine Robbins).

We can apply these lessons to our lives by trying our hardest to achieve our dreams because Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins tried their hardest to accomplish their goals every day by adding new shops, and flavors for everyone to try. Another lesson we can learn from and apply to our lives is to get a job we would enjoy doing every day because Burt and Irv created their company to fulfill their dream and to enjoy seeing their customer’s faces happy (Irvine Robbins, 90; co-founder of the Baskin- Robbins ice cream empire). There are many lessons we can apply to our lives like never giving even though our hopes and dreams seem low, we can still make out like Burt, and Irv who made their company better with each passing day (Irvine Robbins, 90; co-founder of the Baskin- Robbins ice cream empire). Having a high level of self-esteem is another lesson to our lives because it is important to have high self-esteem when you are feeling down, you can lift yourself with encouraging words (Irvine Robbins, 90; co-founder of the Baskin- Robbins ice cream empire).

Impact on the World

Baskin-Robbins has made the world a better place by making their amazing ice cream for everyone around the United States and other places as well, but Burt and Irv didn’t do it for the fame, they did it to see our happy faces each time they ate their ice cream (Irvine Robbins, 90; co-founder of the Baskin- Robbins ice cream empire). Just as all the other famous places people have created to gain money and fortune, Baskin-Robbins did it for a very different reason, Burt and Irv did it because they wanted to have a fun job, and they enjoyed doing it, they also did it because they wanted to see the customers smile when they ate their ice cream flavors (Burton Baskin & Irvine Robbins). Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins enjoyed their jobs as ice cream and kept building up their business because they liked selling ice cream to people and see them get happy once they ate their ice cream (Burton Baskin & Irvine Robbins). Making ice cream flavors was one of Burt and Irv’s things, which impacted the world in a great way because customers could choose different flavors every day and forget how they taste. Baskin-Robbins has impacted the world greatly because of their ice cream, and flavors, they have made over one-thousand-three-hundred flavors for their customers to try every day they want to eat ice cream (Burton Baskin & Irvine Robbins). Baskin-Robbins has made over eight thousand shops in different locations throughout the United States and fifty other countries in the world for every person to enjoy (Burton Baskin & Irvine Robbins). Burt and Irv have become the world’s largest ice cream franchise business because of all of the things they have done throughout the years in building their business to make all their customers enjoy their ice cream every time they go to Baskin-Robbins (Burton Baskin & Irvine Robbins).

Works Cited

“Baskin Burton & Irvine Robbins.” Encyclopedia.com, 16 Apr. 2021, encyclopedia.com/education/economics-magazines/baskin-burton-robbins-irvine.

“Burton Baskin & Irvine Robbins- Ice Cream Emperors.” Entrepreneur, 2008, entrepreneur.com/article/197604.

Irvine Robbins, 90; co-founder of the Baskin- Robbins ice cream empire, LA Times, Nelson, Valerie J., 2014, latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-robbins7-2008may07-story.html

Nelson, Valerie J., “Irvine Robbins, 90; co-founder of the Baskin- Robbins ice cream empire.” LA Times, 2014, latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-robbins7-2008may07-story.html.