Braum's Inc. is an American chain of ice cream parlor and

fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...

restaurants. Based in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, Braum's was founded in 1968 by William Henry "Bill" Braum in

. The company operates over 300 restaurants in 5 states, primarily in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

, namely the West South Central states of

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

History

Braums Sign Kansas Restaurant 2009-09-06

In 1957, William Henry "Bill" Braum (1928–2020) purchased his family's ice cream processing business based in Emporia,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, 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. Having kept the family dairy herd and ice cream processing business, Braum and his wife Mary started the Braum's chain in 1968 in

, opening 24 stores in

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. Braum's ran a series of Ernest P. Worrell television commercials in the 1980s.

Stores

In order to maintain the freshness of its products, the company does not open stores outside of a 330-mile (483 km) radius of the home farm in Tuttle, Oklahoma. As of 2024, there are over 300 stores in operation, with 128 stores in

, 99 in

, 27 in

and 13 in both

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

and

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

Products

The restaurants serve

ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...

, frozen yogurt,

hamburger A hamburger (or simply a burger) consists of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis ...

sandwich A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...

es,

salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed ingredients, frequently vegetables. They are typically served chilled or at room temperature, though some can be served warm. Condiments called '' salad dressings'', which exist in a variety of flavors, a ...

s and breakfast items. Stores also include a grocery section called the "Fresh Market" featuring

dairy A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

products, baked goods, beverages, frozen entrees, meats and produce.FAQ
, Braum's. Accessed on line December 21, 2007.Braum's Ice Cream Co.: a different kind of dairy company
''Dairy Foods'', January 1, 1997. Accessed on line December 21, 2007. Braum's is noteworthy for its level of

vertical integration In microeconomics, management and international political economy, vertical integration, also referred to as vertical consolidation, is an arrangement in which the supply chain of a company is integrated and owned by that company. Usually each ...

. 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 , as well as its flagship

dairy farm Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...

in Tuttle,

. The dairy farm has specified times during which it is open for public tours and is a popular destination for school field trips.Doing fine in Oklahoma. (W.H. Braum Inc.)
''Dairy Foods'', Jeff Reiter, December 1, 1994. Accessed on line December 21, 2007. 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.

A2 Milk

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 Lactose intolerance is caused by a lessened ability or a complete inability to digest lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. Humans vary in the amount of lactose they can tolerate before symptoms develop. Symptoms may include abdominal pain ...

". 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.

References

External links

*
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Braum's Dairy

{{Oklahoma City companies Companies based in Oklahoma City Privately held companies based in Oklahoma Restaurants in Oklahoma Economy of the Western United States Regional restaurant chains in the United States Fast-food chains of the United States Restaurants established in 1968 Ice cream parlors in the United States 1968 establishments in Oklahoma Ice cream brands Dairy products companies of the United States Oklahoma culture