History

History

Dripping cone has a fascinating history full of ups and downs. Learn it here using this timeline.

  • 1920: We are established as Wikker's Ice Creams.


  • 1925: Wikker's Ice Creams sells its one thousandth ice cream.


  • 1928: Wikker's Ice Creams is renamed to Wikker Ice Cream Co.


  • 1933: Wikker's Ice Cream Co. goes bankrupt due to the Great Depression


  • 1935: Wikker's Ice Cream Co. goes back to pre-1929 market share


  • 1938: Wikker's Ice Cream Co. renamed Wikker & Sons. Frozen Sweets and becomes the largest ice cream company in the world, until losing the position in 1946


  • 1939: Wikker & Sons. Frozen Sweets opens first store in Europe


  • 1941: H.S. Wikker dies at 51


  • 1943: Wikker & Sons. Frozen Sweets goes public


  • 1944: Wikker & Sons. Frozen Sweets renamed to simply Wikker Co.


  • 1944: Wikker Co. sells its 1 millionth ice cream


  • 1945: Wikker Co. reaches its 25th anniversary


  • 1947: Wikker Co. is brought by Sysco, Inc. for $1 million, or $35 million in today's money


  • 1947: Wikker Co. renamed to Dripping Ice Cream Co.


  • 1950: Dripping Ice Cream Co. opens 10,000th store


  • 1954: Dripping Ice Cream Co. passes $100 million in market share


  • 1954: Dripping Ice Cream Co. becomes independent from Sysco


  • 1955: Dripping Ice Cream Co. opens first store in mainland North America


  • 1956: Dripping Ice Cream Co. renamed Dripping Ice Creams, Inc.


  • 1960: Dripping Ice Creams, Inc. sells 100 millionth ice cream and becomes the largest ice cream company in the world until being overtaken in 1967


  • 1963: Dripping Ice Creams, Inc. renamed to Dripping Ice Cream


  • 1967: Dripping Ice Cream goes bankrupt again due to declining market share


  • 1968: Dripping Ice Cream regains half of pre-1967 market share


  • 1969: Dripping Ice Cream releases first limited edition flavor, Moon Landing Mint


  • 1970: Dripping Cone opens its first South American store


  • 1970: Dripping Cone has its 50th anniversary


  • 1972: Dripping Ice Cream renamed to Dripping Ice Cream and Frozen Delights Co.


  • 1975: Dripping Ice Cream and Frozen Delights Co. opens 15,000th store


  • 1978: Dripping Ice Cream and Frozen Delights Co. market share jumps to $1 billion


  • 1978: Dripping Ice Cream and Frozen Delights Co. renamed to simply Dripping Inc.


  • 1981: Dripping Inc. sells 1 billionth ice cream


  • 1985: Dripping Inc. buys Peterson Ice Cream, a popular ice cream company and a major competitor


  • 1986: Dripping Inc. opens first store in Asia


  • 1988: Dripping Inc. opens 20,000th store and becomes largest ice cream company in the world, a position we hold until 1995


  • 1991: Dripping Inc. renamed to current name of Dripping Cone


  • 1994: Dripping Cone buys Häagen-Dazs


  • 1995: Dripping Cone reaches its 75th anniversary


  • 1998: Dripping Cone sells 1 billionth ice cream


  • 2000: Dripping Cone opens 25,000th store


  • 2003: Dripping Cone releases special flavor Fred Rogers Rocky Road, which becomes the fastest-selling flavor to date, selling 1,000 units in one day


  • 2006: Dripping Cone's market share hits $5 billion


  • 2007: Dripping Cone opens first store in Africa and commemorates becoming a worldwide company, with stores in North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa.


  • 2008: Dripping Cone's market share hits a record low of $100 during the 2008 financial crisis


  • 2012: Dripping Cone sells Häagen-Dazs for 1 million dollars


  • 2013: Dripping Cone opens 30,000th store; for comparison, today the McDonald's chain has 38,000 stores


  • 2013: Dripping Cone opens ice cream booth at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, becomes first food company to have stores in all six continents.


  • 2014: Dripping Cone finishes copying all of its records into an electronic format


  • 2016: Dripping Cone becomes the biggest ice cream company in the world, a position that is still held today


  • 2018: Dripping Cone's market share hits $3.5 billion


  • 2020: Dripping Cone becomes an Arenztopian Company