Nestle wants nothing to do with ice cream anymore.

[hardcorestitch]

Nestle, the maker of Mickey shaped ice cream for Disney Parks, will be selling its remaining ice cream ops to the spinoff company Froneri, backed by PAI Partners. The four categories being reorganized by Nestle will not include ice cream once this is finalized. All of this was due to shifting consumer habits.

Any speculation on what will happen to the Mickey ice cream once this is final? Perhaps a different brand name?

 

[BrianL]

Nestle, the maker of Mickey shaped ice cream for Disney Parks, will be selling its remaining ice cream ops to the spinoff company Froneri, backed by PAI Partners. The four categories being reorganized by Nestle will not include ice cream once this is finalized. All of this was due to shifting consumer habits.

Any speculation on what will happen to the Mickey ice cream once this is final? Perhaps a different brand name?

It may depend on how the licensing contract works, but I would imagine the spinoff company may continue to make the Mickey ice cream bars. The contract may need to be renegotiated or there could be some operational changes too, but I do expect that they will still be made. I know Disney would not want to give up selling them as they are popular.

 

[hardcorestitch]

It may depend on how the licensing contract works, but I would imagine the spinoff company may continue to make the Mickey ice cream bars. The contract may need to be renegotiated or there could be some operational changes too, but I do expect that they will still be made. I know Disney would not want to give up selling them as they are popular.

Perhaps they might even make it with Haagen Dazs cookies and cream… slight uptick in elegance then.

 

[BrianL]

Perhaps they might even make it with Haagen Dazs cookies and cream… slight uptick in elegance then.

It would be nice if any new contract resulted in improved product quality - though I wouldn't count on it. I mean, Mickey bars are fine and all, though I won't pay what they charge in the parks for them! When I was a kid we had them at school for 50 cents - they were the kind where only the ears were coated in chocolate and the bottom part had the eyes and nose.

 

[dizneegirl]

When I was a kid... they were the kind where only the ears were coated in chocolate and the bottom part had the eyes and nose.

Heck, I don't think ours were even coated in chocolate... just chocolate ice cream ears, and vanilla ice cream face.

 

[BrianL]

Heck, I don't think ours were even coated in chocolate... just chocolate ice cream ears, and vanilla ice cream face.

The ones I remember looked like this:

 

[lanejudy]

The ones in my grocery store are already "distributed by Dreyers Grand Ice Cream" which is Froneri

 

[BrianL]

The ones in my grocery store are already "distributed by Dreyers Grand Ice Cream" which is Froneri
View attachment 1049597

The in-park ones are made by Nestle. They are described as "Premium" on the packaging:

 

[hardcorestitch]

The ones in my grocery store are already "distributed by Dreyers Grand Ice Cream" which is Froneri
View attachment 1049597

And that’s how it will be in the future… 100% spinoff with zero Nestle involvement. Almost like NBC and Versant.

 

[tvguy]

Disney will contract with someone else likely. Apparently selling ice cream is not a hot business, no pun intended as other corporations have dumped their ice cream operations.

 

[Diznygrl]

Haha, if they suddenly started using Haagen Dazs for the bars and sandwiches in the parks, they would cost twice as much as they already do.

The current Mickey bars that you can buy at the grocery store came out for Mickey's 90th birthday (2018) and were probably only meant to be temporary but I guess they stuck around. I used to love getting them but the price has gone up over the years and is now up to $8-9 for a box of six. Which might sound good if these were the same as the park bars, but they are not. They're much smaller and both the chocolate and ice cream are not as thick and rich. Still good, but not the same.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Disney will contract with someone else likely. Apparently selling ice cream is not a hot business, no pun intended as other corporations have dumped their ice cream operations.

Corporations are a platypus (growls like Perry)…

 

[BrianL]

Disney will contract with someone else likely. Apparently selling ice cream is not a hot business, no pun intended as other corporations have dumped their ice cream operations.

Which is crazy to me - I mean, who doesn't like ice cream? It feels like it should be one of those things that is "recession-proof" or even something that thrives when times are tough - I mean, can't every problem be solved with ice cream?

 

[LuvOrlando]

I don't think I have ever liked WDW Ice Cream, I tried it a few times and it always tasted like ice milk dipped in waxy chocolate. Haagen Dazs would be a definite step up. There is also a Custard / Italian Ice business in PA called Rita's which is extremely popular. I was so shocked to see one in Ft Lauderdale when we were there at Christmas and apparently there are others in Florida, it is so rich and would be amazing paired with the Dole Ices for a whip

 

[hardcorestitch]

Which is crazy to me - I mean, who doesn't like ice cream? It feels like it should be one of those things that is "recession-proof" or even something that thrives when times are tough - I mean, can't every problem be solved with ice cream?

Except health problems

 

[BrianL]

Except health problems

It's good for mental health though!

 

[hardcorestitch]

I don't think I have ever liked WDW Ice Cream, I tried it a few times and it always tasted like ice milk dipped in waxy chocolate. Haagen Dazs would be a definite step up. There is also a Custard / Italian Ice business in PA called Rita's which is extremely popular. I was so shocked to see one in Ft Lauderdale when we were there at Christmas and apparently there are others in Florida, it is so rich and would be amazing paired with the Dole Ices for a whip

Another option could be to buddy up with a local joint… Disney already does this for coffee and tea with Joffrey’s out of Tampa…

 

[tvguy]

Which is crazy to me - I mean, who doesn't like ice cream? It feels like it should be one of those things that is "recession-proof" or even something that thrives when times are tough - I mean, can't every problem be solved with ice cream?

Well the article below I found interesting. Apparently the ice cream industry is very tough because of HUGE shifts in demand based on the season. Summer sales are great, but in the winter that huge ice cream plant sits idle. Corporations don't like idle plants. And then there is the fact the product HAS to stay frozen from factory to the parks. Apparently all Mickey Bars are made in California, HUNDREDS of miles from Disneyland, and THOUSANDS of miles from Disney World. I seriously bet the largest portion of the price of a Mickey bar is not the ingredients, it's the shipping. The plant is in California because they need access to huge amounts of milk, and California is the largest dairy producer in the U.S.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/19/business/nestle-selling-ice-cream-business-intl

 

[hardcorestitch]

Well the article below I found interesting. Apparently the ice cream industry is very tough because of HUGE shifts in demand based on the season. Summer sales are great, but in the winter that huge ice cream plant sits idle. Corporations don't like idle plants. And then there is the fact the product HAS to stay frozen from factory to the parks. Apparently all Mickey Bars are made in California, HUNDREDS of miles from Disneyland, and THOUSANDS of miles from Disney World. I seriously bet the largest portion of the price of a Mickey bar is not the ingredients, it's the shipping. The plant is in California because they need access to huge amounts of milk, and California is the largest dairy producer in the U.S.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/19/business/nestle-selling-ice-cream-business-intl

And that’s where Nestle and/or Froneri could put a plant in say… Sebring? Lower emissions then. Of course, there’s going to be talk of

 

[disneychrista]

Which is crazy to me - I mean, who doesn't like ice cream? It feels like it should be one of those things that is "recession-proof" or even something that thrives when times are tough - I mean, can't every problem be solved with ice cream?

I was with a friend yesterday while my car was in the shop and it was about 10am and as we were driving out of the blue they said "I want ice cream." I had to ask if that was they said because it was so random. So apparently, I should add Mickey Ice Cream to our list of things he "needs" to have while at Disneyland in April.

Churro, Dole Whip, Mickey Ice Cream, Jack Jack Cookie, Choco-Smash Bar from Pym's