Oklahoma’s Most Beloved Brand is Actually from Kansas

Ever since the first locations were opened, Braum's has been an Oklahoma icon, but people are still shocked today to learn Braum's was originally a Kansas thing, and for the first couple of years, every bite of Braum's amazing ice cream began with a long journey from The Sunflower State.

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Braum's story is a true American tale you've heard time and time again. A father starts a family business, and the next generation takes it to new heights. Today Braum's spans across more than 300 locations in five different Heartland states.

Emporia, Kansas - 1933

Years into the Great Depression, Henry Braum leased a home and converted it into a butter manufacturing facility. Very small scale, but butter was an affordable essential during America's roughest economic time. He did well enough that when it was time for the family business to grow, the landlord built a brand-new building for them.

With so much space, the Braum family added another depression-proof product to their brand by processing milk from local dairies.

Braum's legendary ice cream didn't come around until 1940 when the Great Depression seemingly ended. It was hard work and simple products to keep the family afloat, but it was popular enough to send their kids to college.

Growing an empire.

After taking an interest in the family business, and with a business degree hot off the press, Henry's son Bill convinced him to expand the business again with a focus on what people really loved. Ice cream and Braum's milk. They even started an ice cream chain of stores called Peter Pan Ice Cream.

As all businesses ebb and flow with demand and popularity, by the time the 1960s rolled around Papa Henry Braum sold the family business to Baby Billy. He went on to buy his first herd of Holstein cows while working on another big idea. In 1967, Bill Braum sold Peter Pan Ice Cream to someone else but the terms of sale put a hitch in the giddyup.

To curb competition with the Peter Pan buyer, and since Bill now had a milk-producing herd, he agreed not to sell ice cream in the State of Kansas until at least 1977... It didn't matter much though, Bill was on the move South to Oklahoma.

Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Store.

Only a year later, Bill opened the first Braum's location in Oklahoma City. It was an instant hit that caught on fast enough, they added 23 more stored within the same year.

Even though the stores were in Oklahoma, every bit of the milk was trucked in from the Emporia, Kansas dairy every single day. Quite literally 24/7/365, and it went on for years.

Braum's didn't become a 100% Oklahoma company until 1975 when they hauled the herd of 900 cows to the present-day Braum's Farm in Tuttle. A small bakery followed in 1977, and I'm sure the expanded menu followed shortly after.

The legacy.

Over the years Braum's has continued to grow. They're one of the largest dairy operations in the country, officially the largest A2 milk producer in America, and the last ice cream brand in the world still milking their own cows.

Still, even with a sprawling network of family-owned farms, the dairy, owning their own processing, a fleet of trucks, and over 300 family-owned restaurant and grocery locations in five states, Braum's remains a stunning Oklahoma and American success story, even if the journey to the top was started humbly in Kansas.