Why Cold Stone Creamery uses a frozen granite slab to craft its signature ice cream

Cultures · Published 10 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Cold Stone Creamery built an international empire on a simple, tactile concept: folding mix-ins into premium ice cream on a frozen granite slab. While the brand became a household name, its rapid expansion and aggressive franchising model have sparked intense debates over corporate transparency, financial viability, and workplace safety.

Founded in 1988 by Donald and Susan Sutherland in Tempe, Arizona, Cold Stone Creamery was designed to fill a niche between hard-packed ice cream and soft-serve. The company’s defining feature, inspired by Steve Herrell, involves using a cold granite surface to incorporate candies, nuts, and syrups directly into the ice cream at the customer's request. This method, combined with a premium product containing 12–14% butterfat, helped the chain grow into the sixth best-selling ice cream brand in the United States.

The company's growth trajectory has been marked by strategic alliances and high-profile partnerships. In 2007, it merged with Kahala Corp, later becoming Kahala Brands under the ownership of the Toronto-based Serruya family. Throughout the 2000s, Cold Stone experimented with co-branding, most notably with Tim Hortons, and formed marketing partnerships with brands like Jell-O and Jelly Belly. However, these ventures were not always smooth; the Tim Hortons collaboration, which aimed to facilitate cross-border expansion, ended in 2014.

Despite its commercial success, the brand has faced significant scrutiny. Franchisees have frequently alleged that the company misrepresented potential revenues and forced expensive, unnecessary remodeling. A 2008 Wall Street Journal report noted that 16–20% of franchises had closed or were for sale. Furthermore, the company has navigated public health challenges, including salmonella outbreaks linked to its cake batter flavor in 2005 and 2015, and has faced criticism regarding workplace safety after employees suffered severe injuries involving ice cream machinery in 2007 and 2023.

The brand's cultural footprint extends beyond its physical stores, even appearing in a 2009 Wii simulation game. Yet, the company’s history is also defined by its defensive posture toward media scrutiny, including legal threats against CNBC during the production of a 2011 documentary on the realities of franchising. Today, Cold Stone remains a fixture of the dessert landscape, balancing its identity as a global chain with the complexities of its corporate and operational legacy.

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