Some honors come with a trophy. This one came with a reminder: the stubborn way of doing things still wins. In 2014, Richard Graeter was named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year for the East Central region, a recognition that put a spotlight on something Graeter's family has known since 1870 — that building something the right way, generation after generation, is its own kind of achievement.
What the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award recognizes
The EY Entrepreneur of the Year program celebrates business leaders who take risks, build something lasting, and do it with vision. It's not handed out for chasing trends or cutting corners. It's for people who build companies with staying power — the kind of staying power that comes from knowing exactly who you are and refusing to compromise on it.
For Richard Graeter, that recognition wasn't about a single product launch or a clever marketing campaign. It was about steering a family company through generations of change while never losing sight of what made it special in the first place: ice cream made the hard way, in small batches, by people who genuinely love the craft.
A family business, five generations deep
Graeter's has always been a family affair. What started in 1870 has been carried forward by generation after generation of Graeters, each one inheriting not just a business, but a responsibility — to the French Pot process, to the 2.5-gallon batches, to the customers who grew up on this ice cream and now bring their own kids in for a scoop.
Richard Graeter's leadership represents that same thread. Being named Entrepreneur of the Year wasn't just a personal milestone; it reflected the work of an entire family and the village of people — from the churners to the scoop shop teams — who've kept the company's promise alive for over a century.
Stubborn, on purpose
There's a reason "stubborn" sits at the center of everything Graeter's does. It would have been easier, at almost any point over the last century and a half, to modernize the process, speed things up, or swap in cheaper ingredients. Plenty of ice cream companies did exactly that.
Graeter's didn't. The French Pot process is slow by design. Batches are small on purpose. That stubbornness — refusing shortcuts even when shortcuts would be more profitable — is exactly the kind of entrepreneurial spirit that awards like this one are built to recognize. It takes a certain kind of conviction to keep doing things the hard way when the whole industry has moved on.
Why this recognition matters to ice cream lovers
You might wonder what a business award has to do with the pint in your freezer. Quite a lot, actually. Recognition like this is a signal that the values behind the ice cream — quality over convenience, family over shortcuts, craft over trends — aren't just brand language. They're how the company has actually been run, for generations.
Every time a Graeter's team hand packs a pint, or folds in massive chocolate chips by hand, they're carrying forward the same philosophy that earned Richard Graeter that honor in 2014: do it right, even when it's harder, because the people eating it deserve the best.
Taste the craft behind the honor
An award is a nice thing to hang on the wall. But the real proof is in the pint. The next time you're picking out a flavor, know that it's backed by more than good intentions — it's backed by generations of family leadership committed to doing things the stubborn, superior way.
Stop by a scoop shop or order online for home delivery, and taste for yourself what earns recognition like this. Some things really are worth doing the hard way.
Ready to taste it for yourself? Order a pint for home delivery or find a scoop shop near you.
