This Ice Cream Giant Is Behind Walmart's Great Value Brand

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Store brands can get a bad rap, with suspicious grocery shoppers worried they're sacrificing taste or quality to save a few bucks. However, savvy consumers know that in many cases, the only differences between an inexpensive store brand and a pricey name brand are the packaging and the price. This is precisely the case for Walmart and its popular, affordable ice cream sold under the Great Value brand (not to be confused with the company's new private food brand Bettergoods). These sweet frozen treats are crafted by the same ice cream giant behind Blue Bunny, Halo Top, and other familiar brands.

Wells Enterprises, an Iowa-based food producer that's been churning out delicious treats since 1913. The company has been a Walmart partner for over 30 years, linking up with the retail giant when it was still a relatively little-known regional chain in the late 1980s. Though the popular Blue Bunny brand remains Wells' signature offering, the company acquired Halo Top in 2019, providing a lighter, higher-protein, lower-calorie alternative to traditional ice cream. Those with fond memories of summer ice cream truck purchases will be thrilled to learn Wells also produces the Original Bomb Pop (the red-white-and-blue, multi-flavored popsicle) as well as Blue Ribbon Classics frozen treats, including cookies and cream and strawberry shortcake bars. 

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Wells has been praised by industry experts for its technologically advanced processes and has also earned the highest level of certification from the Safe Quality Food Institute. However, what matters most to consumers is the taste, which Wells ensures is up to par through extensive testing.

Located in Le Mars, Iowa, "the Ice Cream Capital of the World," Wells is a one-stop shop for Walmart's ice cream needs. While Wells makes the ice cream itself, cookies, cones, and other ingredients are made at nearby BoDean's Baking Group. 

Although it's undoubtedly an ingenious way to ensure quality without investing in a production plant of its own, Walmart's use of the process known as white labeling isn't unique. For example, Costco is infamous for hiding name brands behind popular Kirkland products — from Starbucks coffee to Duracell batteries. At the end of the day, Walmart isn't perfect, and there are no doubt big mistakes to avoid when shopping there (including not giving its store brands a try). However, ice cream lovers can be confident that its frozen treats are made by one of the industry's most respected producers.