The Fast Food Chain That Uses Milk From Its Own Dairy To Make Ice Cream

Most fast food joints — okay, most restaurants in general — don't have their own dairy farms. Instead, dairy products are sourced elsewhere via suppliers. But, if you're familiar with the Oklahoma ice cream scene, you may be aware that Braum's is the surprising exception. The chain makes its own ice cream with A2 milk that it also makes in-house, straight from its own dairy herd. It's also why Braum's made our list of fast food chains serving the highest quality ice cream. The whole thing is even more impressive when you consider the fact that Braum's has over 300 locations across Oklahoma and its neighboring states of Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas.

Even so, it was neither a dairy farm, an ice cream parlor, nor a restaurant that initially kicked the business off. Instead, all started in 1933 with a small butter processing plant run by Henry H. Braum, who soon added milk processing, followed by ice cream processing in 1940. It wasn't until 1961 that Bill Braum, Henry's son, took over the family business and brought a dairy farm into the mix. In 1968, the first official Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Store opened in Oklahoma City.

Today, Braum's is a beloved regional fast food chain that sells good old American-style breakfast, lunch, and dinner foods (think burgers and fried chicken), in addition to ice cream. Still, the ice cream portion of the menu is extensive, encompassing sundaes, banana splits, malts, cones, and more.

Braum's takes the "dairy store" portion of its name seriously. The chain combines dining and retail like no other restaurant, operating as both an eatery and a small neighborhood grocery store. It's here that the dairy products go way beyond just ice cream. True to its roots, Braum's sells butter as well as milk, though there's also cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream, and a variety of dips to choose from (Braum's also gets top marks for its dipping sauces, by the way). 

All Braum's dairy products are made from the same A2 milk that the chain uses for its ice cream. In case you've never heard of the A2 classification before, it's a type of milk that only contains a specific type of beta-casein protein, rather than the usual mix of proteins that regular A1 milk has. Whether or not A2 milk is healthier than A1 milk is up for debate, but it has been shown to be easier on digestion for some people who have difficulty with regular milk.

According to the Braum's website, the company boasts the largest A2 dairy herd in the United States, with its cows coming from breeds that genetically only produce A2 proteins. In addition to not using antibiotics or bovine hormones to stimulate milk production, Braum's also claims to grow the bulk of the herd's feed on its own as well. Essentially, it might just be the most self-sustained ice cream and dairy retailer in the nation.