About

About

Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream

Ashby’s Sterling has been proudly making delicious ice cream in Michigan since 1984.

Get to know Ashby’s! We’re famous for our unique, ultra-creamy and award-winning ice cream. We start each batch with our original 14% butterfat recipe and perfect it by mixing in the finest, freshest and most delicious ingredients.

We offer over 70 unique flavors of ice cream, sherbet, sorbet and yogurt, including sugar-free and fat-free options, at over 800 ice cream parlors, restaurants and retailers in 30 states.

Our niche is hand-dipped ice cream. Ask a location near you to hand pack a quart or pint for you to enjoy at home.

Try our ice cream today and see why our obsession with perfecting the right blend of cream, milk, sweeteners and quality ingredients continues to swell the ranks of Ashby’s loyal followers.

Our History

Ashby's Sterling Ice Cream Parlor

The Davis Brothers

In 1984, brothers Tom, Rick, Gary and Jim Davis recognized the need for value-priced high-quality ice cream to fill the gap between supermarket and expensive premium ice cream options.

The brothers tasted and tested many formulas before selecting a recipe with the perfect proportion, 14% butterfat and 85% overrun. This recipe delivered the nostalgic taste and “old-fashioned” creaminess of the ice cream they grew up on in Detroit that was handcrafted with pride by family-owned parlors using only the best ingredients. It was then that the brothers knew they were on to something good!

Ashby's Sterling Ice Cream Parlor

Why Ashby's Sterling?

The Davis brothers wanted to name their company something that shouted “quality” and also pay homage to their Welsh heritage.

One summer day in 1984, Tom was crossing Washington Blvd. in downtown Detroit when he was almost hit by a trolley! As he jumped back to safety, he read the name on the side of the car… Ashby & Whorten. “Ashby” was a classic Welsh surname and it rang as loud as the trolley’s warning bell in his mind. He liked it!

Now, what would make it shout quality? Webster’s Dictionary took care of that part. Sterling is “the measure of purity and quality.” Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream was born.

Ashby's Sterling Ice Cream Parlor

We All Scream for Ice Cream!

With a company name selected and the formula in place for their ice cream mix, the brothers set off to create delicious, creamy premium ice cream flavors that looked as good as they tasted and delivered “good stuff” in each scoop.

With great care to incorporate the finest ingredients—and lots of them—they began crafting their now-famous original eight flavors including French Vanilla, Chocolate, Butter Pecan, German Chocolate Cake, Strawberry, Mint Cookie, Praline-N-Pecan, and Chocolate Chips ‘N Chunks.

Ashby's Sterling Ice Cream

Ashby's Sterling Means Quality

Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream has won numerous awards for its taste and unique flavors, including a prestigious perfect score for Vanilla and multiple “Best New Flavor” awards from the National Ice Cream Retailers Association (NICRA).

In addition, over fourteen of our flavors, including favorites like Chocolate, Strawberry, Amaretto Cherry and Nana’s Banana Puddin’, have received “Blue Ribbons” from the National Ice Cream Retailers Association, the World Dairy Expo, Industry Dairy Judges and the Los Angeles County Fair.

Ashby's Sterling Ice Cream Parlor Co-Branding Mall 2

Ashby's Sterling Today & Beyond

Since 1984, Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream has grown from a small company offering eight specialty flavors to an industry favorite that supplies over 1,000 ice cream parlors, restaurants and retailers with over 70 unique ice cream, sherbet, and yogurt flavors that serve millions of satisfied customers every year!

Through it all, our mission never falters. “To make ice cream that our employees and customers are proud to sell. To make ice cream that consumers enjoy and appreciate above others. To make and sell ice cream with integrity, values, and respect for all involved.”

Award-Winning Flavors

Amaretto Cherry

Amaretto Cherry

Strawberry

Strawberry

Chocolate

Chocolate

Cool Mint Cookie

Cool Mint Cookie

Nana's Banana Puddin'

Nana's Banana Puddin'

French Vanilla

French Vanilla

Butter Pecan

Butter Pecan

Vanilla

Vanilla

Raspberry Chip Cheesecake

Raspberry Chip Cheesecake

Years in business

ice cream flavors

locations nation-wide