our story…
Entrepreneur Harold Fredrick Hibbard, born in 1902, had already enjoyed several successful business ventures before founding his frozen custard business in 1939. In the late 1930s, while wintering in Florida, a persistent Mr. Hibbard persuaded a friend and neighbor—whose family had been running an ice cream and frozen custard stand since 1902—to share their specialty custard recipe. To launch his new enterprise, he convinced Chaplin Dairy in Rochester, NY—close to where frozen custard originated on Coney Island in 1919—to produce this special custard mix. Hibbard’s Original Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard opened in April 1939 in a modest 25’ x 25’ building, on the very spot where you are standing now. Recently, after thorough research, it was determined that Hibbard’s is the sixth oldest family-owned, continuously operated frozen custard stand in the United States still operating at its original location.
In the early days, the custard mix traveled by train in cars that used insulated jackets around the 10-gallon stainless steel milk cans to keep them cool for the journey to the Suspension Bridge Terminal in Niagara Falls, NY. Harold would then drive the valuable cargo by pickup truck to the ice coolers at the stand in the Village of Lewiston. Our chocolate flavoring initially came from the Hershey Chocolate Corporation in Hershey, PA, but after experimenting with various brands, we settled on the Dutch Chocolate syrup you enjoy today. At one time, the Nabisco Company in Niagara Falls produced cones exclusively for Hibbard’s Frozen Custard.
Now three generations on—and following countless refinements—we believe, along with thousands of Western New Yorkers, that we offer the best frozen custard anywhere. Our custard mix is produced by a dairy farm creamery in the southern tier of WNY, formulated as a special French Vanilla Custard blend reminiscent of Grandfather Harold’s original “all-natural” recipe from the 1930s and 1940s—an era before preservatives. Our exclusive Vanilla flavoring still draws on Harold’s patented formula, crafted under our private label, “Hibbard’s Special Three Star Essence,” which uses premium, imported Madagascar Vanilla Beans.
This unwavering commitment to quality has made “Hibbard’s Original Frozen Custard” a beloved Western New York tradition for 80 years, and a consistent favorite in Buffalo Spree magazine’s “Best of WNY” contest. During a visit to our Lewiston stand, renowned food critic Bobby Flay was overheard calling it “the best frozen custard I’ve ever had.”
We hope you enjoy our custard as much as we’ve enjoyed serving it. Thank you for your continued support, and rest assured, we remain dedicated to delivering only the finest products and highest level of service in the industry.