Graeter’s Ice Cream is giving summer a nostalgic twist with the launch of its 2025 Bake Shop Collection—a limited-time lineup of ice cream flavors inspired by classic bakery favorites. From Cinnamon Sticky Bun to Blueberry Lemon Crumble, these ultra-small-batch flavors combine comforting baked goods with cool summer indulgence. It’s a bold flavor move rooted in nostalgia, with ripple effects across foodservice, frozen innovation, and bulk ingredient sourcing. And with limited availability both in-store and online, these scoops are as exclusive as they are indulgent.
Scoop, serve, repeat
On June 2, 2025, Cincinnati-based Graeter’s Ice Cream announced the launch of its Bake Shop Collection, a summer-only series of ice cream flavors inspired by home-baked desserts. The collection includes six flavors, released gradually from June through August across Graeter’s 50+ scoop shops and online at Graeters.com.
Each flavor is handmade using their signature French Pot process, a technique that produces just two gallons per batch—underscoring Graeter’s commitment to quality and craftsmanship.
The flavors include:
- Cinnamon Sticky Bun (available now) – Brown sugar-cinnamon ice cream swirled with sticky bun dough and crunchy toffee.
- Beast Feast – Cookie Dough Unleashed (available now) – Cookie butter base, sugar cookie dough chunks, and rainbow sprinkles.
- Blueberry Lemon Crumble (mid-June) – Lemon and blueberry swirled into yellow cake batter ice cream with streusel topping.
- Pineapple Passion Fruit Sorbet (early July) – A refreshing, dairy-free combo of tropical fruit purées.
- Minty Brownie (late July) – Creamy mint ice cream packed with chewy brownie pieces.
- Caramel Pecan Cheesecake (mid-August) – Mascarpone ice cream with praline pecans, cheesecake bits, and gooey caramel truffles.
Hitting the nostalgic sweet spot
Graeter’s is America’s oldest family-owned craft ice cream company, operating since 1870. With a legacy built on rich, indulgent ice creams and a dedication to traditional methods, this fifth-generation company is known for staying true to small-batch production—long before it became trendy.
“From taking a trip to the local bakery or cooling off with a scoop of ice cream, nothing captures the essence of summer quite like a sweet treat. With this collection, we’re taking that nostalgic, baked-with-love feeling and turning it into the tastiest way for ice cream lovers across the country to stay cool this season.” Richard Graeter, fourth-generation president and CEO, Graeter’s.
Bake shop meets ice cream shop
Graeter’s release plays into several major consumer trends:
- Nostalgia in food: Comforting, memory-triggering flavors continue to drive product innovation.
- Cross-category mashups: Fusing bakery favorites with ice cream creates a playful new format for familiar treats.
- Limited-time offers (LTOs): Staggered flavor drops generate urgency and encourage repeat customer visits.
For manufacturers and private label innovators, this shows that frozen dessert categories are ready for more fusion-style creations—especially those that combine layers of flavor, texture, and experience. Expect demand to rise for ingredients like cookie dough pieces, cheesecake swirls, and praline nuts.
Scoop dreams are made of these
Graeter’s Bake Shop line may be limited in time, but its influence could be long-lasting. For importers, wholesale suppliers, and food manufacturers, this release opens new pathways to rethink seasonal innovation.
Ingredient Trends to Watch:
- Bakery-Inspired Inclusions: Brownie chunks, crumble toppings, cheesecake bites.
- Flavor Systems: Cinnamon, mascarpone, cookie butter, tropical fruit blends.
- Texture Builders: Pralines, streusel, soft dough inclusions.
These kinds of nostalgic-meets-premium profiles are ideal for:
- Frozen desserts (retail and foodservice)
- Seasonal private label development
- QSR menu innovations (milkshakes, sundaes, LTO desserts)
If you’re sourcing ingredients for indulgent dessert builds, summer 2025 is the season to think outside the pint—and inside the bakery.
Big flavor, small batch, all heart
Graeter’s latest release is a blueprint for how to deliver nostalgia without being predictable. It blends traditional craftsmanship with bold, modern flavor innovation—proving that even century-old brands can be first movers in flavor trends.
For bulk buyers and product developers, this is a call to action:
- Revisit nostalgic formats and explore new forms.
- Source flexible, scalable ingredients ready for LTOs.
- Stay ahead of the curve with flavor systems that deliver indulgence and storytelling.
Want to explore bakery-inspired flavor bases or toppings for your next project?
Let’s talk ingredients. Our sourcing team can help you build nostalgic flavor profiles with real, functional ingredients—ready for scale.
