Telepeer

Can California’s Thrifty ice cream become a national brand?

April 17, 2026

Can a 3.6-ounce container of ice cream, with its own spoon tucked under the lid, take an iconic California frozen treat to a broader audience?

Thrifty Ice Cream is the brand long known for its distinctive cylindrical scoops, which were primarily offered at a now-shuttered drugstore chain. It was bought last year by a Southern California investor group backed by Hilton Schlosberg and Rodney Sacks, the co-founders of the Monster Energy beverage empire in Corona. Thrifty, made at a single plant in El Monte, was acquired from Rite Aid’s bankruptcy for $19 million.

While Dani Rothenberg, the investor group’s CEO, says several other suitors would have closed the plant and used only Thrifty’s good name to sell frozen treats, his group’s goal is to grow Thrifty beyond its California roots.

“I like to joke that we are California’s best-kept secret,” Rothenberg says. “You talk to almost any Californian, and they’ll be very familiar with Thrifty, whereas a lot of people who did not grow up here, or haven’t been to California, aren’t so familiar. So we’re trying to take that California secret across the country, essentially.”

The initial work focused on the basics, including business infrastructure, such as accounting and personnel systems. Thrifty had previously been run simply as a minor slice of its former drugstore owners.

Then there were product designs that needed refreshing. The El Monte plant got some modernization. And serious marketing began.

“There’s a lot of low-hanging fruit in terms of geographical expansion,” Rothenberg says. “There’s a lot of expansion goals to venture out to new customers, but at the same time, we have a huge fan base inside and outside of California who grew up on Thrifty and may not even have it available anymore.”

Some of the growth will be relatively easy because the previous owner wasn’t exactly in the business of marketing ice cream.

Yes, Rite Aid stores sold scoops and 48-ounce containers, which were also available at certain other retailers. Distributors did get Thrifty ice cream’s 3-gallon tubs into roughly 200 places where scoops were sold – including a collection of stores in Mexico.

Put politely, it was a minimal marketing effort. That makes the new, one-serving cup seem almost revolutionary for Thrifty.

It serves both as a sampling opportunity for those who don’t know Thrifty and fans who want to try a new flavor. And it’s a way to put Thrifty in new places.

The small cups, for example, are sold at Angel Stadium this baseball season, part of the new owner’s first team sponsorship splash with the Anaheim Angels. Scooped ice cream is available on the ballpark’s club level.

By summer, these small servings also will be available in bulk at numerous retailers, including a 12-pack at Costco.

“It’s great for grab-and-go,” Rothenberg says. “It’s great for food service. It’s great for events. So it opens up several new sales channels for us, and then at the same time, for people who either aren’t familiar with the brand, or maybe aren’t familiar with the specific flavor, it’s something easy.”

Long history

The Thrifty ice cream brand dates back to 1940, when the owners of what was then the Thrifty drugstore chain added a curious slice of Americana: pharmacies offering sweet treats to lure customers beyond their usual prescription-filling clientele. Rite Aid bought the drug store chain in 1996.

Initially, the ice cream was made in West Hollywood at a converted dairy facility. But in 1976, Thrifty moved its ice cream production to the current factory in El Monte.

The Thrifty legacy gives it some charm, but its factory’s distinctive characteristics – and a staff largely with decades of experience – help it stand out in the industry.

The product meets government standards to be called ice cream. Many of its competitors are just “frozen desserts” because they don’t meet minimums for milkfat, milk solids and density.

There’s also machinery that gives Thrift’s “chip” flavors a distinctive taste. Dutch chocolate is injected into the ice cream, compared to competitors who drop in chocolate chips.

In fact, Rothenberg says his tour of the factory, as part of his due diligence for the purchase, sold him on Thrifty.

“The more we spoke with the management team and saw how fantastic they were and how much knowledge and emphasis went into the quality of the product, it reinforced our commitment to the opportunity,” Rothenberg says. “It has been a California cult classic for generations, and that doesn’t happen by accident.”

Of course, when Thrifty is bought at a counter, there is the distinctive scoop. The serving tool was actually designed to be easy on the scoopers’ arms. And, it’s very good at managing portion control.

That Thrifty scoop’s shape, perched atop a cone, stirs nostalgic feelings in many fans. Then consider the eclectic collection of flavors.

Fan favorites are Chocolate Malted Krunch and Rocky Road, followed closely by Mint Chip, Cookies N Cream, and Pistachio Nut. Also, this summer, two classics, Cherry Chip and Circus Animal Cookie, return.

Thrifty Ice Cream was bought last year by a Southern California investor group backed by Hilton Schlosberg and Rodney Sacks, the co-founders of the Monster Energy beverage empire in Corona. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)

1 of 6

Expand

Premium yet affordable

Here’s one example of how respected the Thrifty brand is.

One of the first calls Rothenberg got after the acquisition was from CVS, the drugstore giant that had long competed with Thrifty’s former owners. They wanted Thrifty on the CVS frozen food shelves.

It’s part of why Thrifty has grown swiftly with reinvigorated marketing efforts, Rothenberg says.

Since it’s a designated ice cream, the initial plan is to position Thrifty as a premium yet affordable product — something not as fancy or as pricey as Häagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry’s.

Plus, there’s expanded availability beyond its traditional core markets of California, Arizona and Nevada, to most Western states.

It doesn’t hurt that Rothenberg’s got the smarts that built the Monster beverage brand on his speed dial.

“You definitely can’t buy that experience,” the CEO says.

All these efforts boosted one broad sales measure by 30%, Rothenberg says, with Thrifty becoming California’s No. 3 ice cream brand.

“When I tell people what I do, their faces immediately light up, and they think I’m working at Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory and just eating ice cream all day,” Rothenberg says. “It is nice hearing everyone’s stories about the brand. It’s always very positive.”

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com

Can California’s Thrifty ice cream become a national brand? Orange County Register

News Details

Can California’s Thrifty ice cream become a national brand?

Long history

Premium yet affordable

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS