Bluebell Annual Report

dear stakeholder,

We would like to thank you for your incredible support of Bluebell and your belief and trust in us. We are humbled and grateful for everything you have done and the sacrifices you have made to fight for and preserve our company’s business model and reputation.

Over the past year, our fortitude was tested daily, but it was your incredible display of faith and belief in the Bluebell philosophy that constantly gave us strength to persevere. Your actions became an inspiration of hope to people everywhere, and because of this, Bluebell will be back even stronger than ever.

To our cherished customers, thank you from all of our associates and business partners for everything you do in support of Bluebell. We are even more dedicated and committed to provide you with super sweet homemade tradition; the Bluebell way.

Over the coming weeks, we ask for your patience and understanding as we work together to restock our warehouses and stores with fresh food offerings.

To our 25,000 associates who have shown the world what Bluebell is all about, you have our deepest gratitude, respect, and appreciation. Together, we will move forward to strengthen Bluebell’s reputation of being the true pioneers of ice cream.

To our vendors and business partners, thank you for your support, patience, and commitment to our customers and company. Together we look forward to forging even stronger business relationships to best serve our customers.

Ricky Dickson president & CEO Bluebell Inc.

message from the ceo & chairman

we appreciate your support of our company and business model.

chairman

Bluebell

pasture to pastimes.

Here at Bluebell, we love what we do. As the pioneers of ice cream, we have been serving classic flavor since 1907. Made deep in the heart of Brenham, Texas, our best-selling ice cream is tried and true. Celebrate every occasion with a sweet gallon of handcrafted tradition.

We build ice creams completely from scratch using a unique recipe honed and perfected over more than 50 years by our founders. Our ice creams have a uniquely smooth texture and buttercream body, with bright flavor and clean finish. We’re here to set new standards for ice cream classics and to create our own. At Bluebell, you’ll find flavors inspired by our values—tradition, community, and memories—that simply don’t exist anywhere else.

growth community creativity

expanding our company, products, and culture. finding innovative ways to connect with our fans. broadening our horizons with bold campaigns.

board of directors

richard

Board Chairman

community partners

We operate as a community—in partnership with the growers, makers, and producers who supply us with fresh, handmade ingredients. The Bluebell way.

the peach truck

Stephen & Jessica Rose

hirsch fruit farm

Mike Hirsch

intelligentsia coffee

Regina Stella

middle west spirits

Jack Clark & Anthony Miller

slingshot coffee

Daniel Raymond

Watershed distillery

Zack Brown

scooner fruit stand

Michael Scooner

far west chocolate

Amanda Ray

paloma bakery

Ella & Mack Stevens

johnson

Gabrielle Hipold Board Secretary

Ed Vela Immediate Past Chair

corporate partners

We thank our corporate partners without whom we wouldn’t have to supply our product to our valued customers. They supply our sweet memories to the people.

h-e-b

7-eleven

la

valero

north

walmart

buc-ees

Charles Butt

Jack Almond

fiesta

Sam Canavati

Target

Brian Cornell

Brett Harrington

star foods

Jon Suckley

Elena Marsh

George Garza

rio grande foods

Jorge Cruz

Jackie Mitchell Vice Chair

Angie Flores Treasurer

lance smith Member At-Large

2021-2022 highlights

brand refresh

We started the year off strong with the first rebrand Bluebell has seen in 100+ years, hoping to reach a larger target audience.

supporting local

Even though we’ve been pushing international, Bluebell honors its tradition by working with farmers and artisans local to Brenham. Their fresh ingredients are the key to exploring fresh new flavors.

new spring flavors

Our confectioners have spent a lot of time in the kitchen coming up with eight new and delicious flavors for the spring launch.

new ice cream parlor

Construction begins on a brand new Bluebell Ice Cream Parlor in Austin, TX. in order to achieve our storefront expansion initiatives.

april march may

bluebell goes global

Following the successful relaunch of the brand, we pushed our efforts outside of the United States. Bluebell Ice Cream is now available in Mexico, Canada, and Belgium.

2021-2022 highlights

website relaunch

One of our goals this year was to expand our e-commerce and digital experiences. We have implemented an online store where customers can order their favorite flavors in singles or wholesale, or even purchase merchandise.

pioneer ambassadors

With the relaunch, we wanted to focus on our Pioneer Ambassador Program. This allows social media influencers to market our products online, as they are our brand ambassadors.

creamery expansion

In order to fulfill international production initiatives, the main Bluebell Creamery has grown 40% in size to expedite production.

new offices in austin

With sales booming at the new Ice Cream Parlor in ATX, the Austin Sales Department has been relocated to the new office space.

new fall flavors

Our confectioners have spent a lot of time in the kitchen coming up with eight new and delicious flavors for the fall launch.

commercial launch

Our pilot commercial “Happy Tracks Back Home” launches, aligning with the winter marketing campaign.

limited edition flavors

Four new limited edition Holiday flavors launch with the winter marketing campaign. Flavors include Gingerbread Farm, Cranberry Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie, and Peppermint Sweet Cream.

annual figures

revenues, expenses, & financials

The breakdown of the operating budget supports the actions of the annual business plan and strategic plan. As Bluebell takes the next step in fulfilling our mission and goals, increased reach of our advertising efforts along with developing a more memorable customer experience was our primary focus this fiscal year, and the next year to come.

top sales in the united states

consumer markets

This chart shows the different types of markets consumers are recieving our products through. With the rebrand, we have seen a big shift in the types of marketing channels people engage with when purchasing Bluebell products.

The top two channels the consumers follow through are national corporate grocers and digital and print marketing. With the new website launched this year, we saw an increase in digital consumer traffic. More of our clients are handling their purchases through the web.

the big picture.

strategy initiatives

growth, community, & creativity

Bluebell aims to offer every consumer a versatile range of delicious and memorable ice cream products for any occasion. The ice cream, sherberts, and Moo-Bars all offer the consumer a moment of pure joy. We want to be an established part of consumers’ daily routines, in as many countries as possible.

In order to climb to the top among global brands and achieve growth, Bluebell has a clear strategy in mind. Building a brand is central to this. Each flavor is curated to have its own personality to fit a targeted group.

With the brand relaunch, we have opened up new markets for e-commerce and digital marketing. Launching the new online store along with the addition of the Ice Cream Parlor in Austin, we have boosted sales and brand recognition significantly.

Creating a true connection with our audience is the key to building trust and making them feel like they are a part of something bigger.

As we embark on the second year of our Strategic Plan, Bluebell is committed to three key initiatives to create a strong connection between our brand and our consumers. While we have plenty of work to do, we are confident in the goals we have set in place for our company to achieve.

innovative marketing

Bluebell has officially launched an all-new brand and look, boldly showing the world that we are the pioneers of ice cream. With creative workings and strategic media placing, Bluebell’s new brand includes a traditional yet vibrant take on what it means to make ice cream.

We want to connect with our audience in a way that others can’t. Our marketing and communications department works hard all year long to create engaging campaigns and creative solutions.

This year, we focued on launching the brand and getting it to be the first thing people recognize when they see it. After 6 months of hard work, the brand has gained over ten percent of it’s equity back. We did this through a strong digital presence and opening up our markets. When creating any campaign for Bluebell, we focus on the audience and how they will be prioritized to increase consumer pride.

quick web stats

139,657,125 impressions

1,754,812 engagements

1,623,395 total web visitors

hardworking employees

Treating every single person equally — behind the counter and over it — is not just an exception here, it’s a way of life. Bluebell has always been a place where many kinds of people come together. As a community, our differences are our strengths, and when each of us gives generously or shows a little hospitality, we are a force for good.

In order to improve ourselves and the community, we always start with improving our team. We do this through a number of things like the Start Strong & Thrive program, and the Bluebell leadership intensive. We find that having a great team is key to getting things done.

We improve ourselves by attending Bias Awareness & Mitigation Training, our Greater American Speaker Series, Empathy & Resilience Development, and an annual leadership workshop.

We improve our communities by engaging in shop talks, employee volunteer time off, company donations, local outreach, community missions, and instilling pride.

It takes a community of people to build ice cream from the ground up: the growers, makers, producers, suppliers, and customers. The people and companies who make Bluebell ice cream possible aren’t anonymous accounts; theyre our partners and we couldn’t run our company without them. We believe we get higher quality ingredients when we know the people we’re buying from.

improve ourselves improve our team employees

status target

99.8% of current internal employees have signed the Code of Conduct.

99.8%

code of conduct

every internal employee of bluebell to commit to the employee code of conduct.

90.1% of suppliers have signed the code of conduct.

90.1%

every supplier to commit to the supplier code of conduct.

90% of suppliers have signed bluebell’s freshness policy.

90%

supplier code of conduct freshness policy

all of our suppliers to sign bluebell’s freshness policy.

looking forward

where we’re headed next year

In order to keep moving forward, we need to keep in mind what we’ve set in place this year. In order to grow our company, we have to grow our community. We will continue to create new flavors, new memories, and new beginnings for Bluebell.

From pasture to pastimes, our flavors are bold and true. Next year we plan on embracing who we are: Texans and the Pioneers of ice cream. And we love what we do.

With even bolder marketing strategies and initiatives, we want the whole world that the Lone Star State knows how to make delicious gallons served up with a side of memories.

We want our fellow ice cream lovers to feel like they’re a part of our Bluebell family. Without y’all, we wouldn’t have anyone to share over a hundred years of sweet memories with.

We hope to continue next year with new flavors, new additions, new shops, and new experiences. We haven’t forgotten about who we are, we’re embracing it.