IRVINE, CA — The Winkler Family of Brothers Desserts announced Feb. 27 that they are taking over operations at Schoep’s Ice Cream in Madison, WI. Brothers Desserts was established in 1973 selling Italian Ices and Ice Creams to kids all over Southern California. They have since grown substantially making ice cream under various private labels for well-known brands and under their own labels: Brothers Ice Cream, Natural Choice, Absolute Fruit Sorbet and NutriFreeze. Their products can be found in grocery stores, club stores and specialty shops across the country.
Brothers had been looking to expand to the mid-west. In late 2019, Schoep’s Ice Cream entered into receivership and the Winkler Family was able to purchase select assets of the company – retaining most employees and preserving the brand’s name in the process.
“There’s a lot of cross over between Brothers and Schoep’s,” said Gary Winkler, the founder and CEO of Brothers International Desserts. “We are a family-run business, so when we heard of another family run business that was struggling and in receivership in Madison, we jumped at the opportunity. Schoep’s has a long tradition of ice cream production, going back when there were more horses than cars! We have been in the ice cream industry for forty-eight years, so we like to think with all of our experience and knowledge we can turn things around at Schoep’s. We look forward to continuing the tradition of Schoep’s and creating new opportunities.” Gary continued, “We love the ice cream business, it’s in our DNA. Combining Brothers and Schoep’s feels like a win-win for both our companies, our associates, our communities and our special customers. We are looking forward to creating a delicious and successful future.”
With the added manufacturing facility, the Winklers plan to expand our production capabilities, add new customers, improve Schoep’s presence in the marketplace and bring overall growth to Madison, WI.
