Textural Trend Takes Over the Freezer Aisle: Butterfinger, Baby Ruth & 100 Grand Ice Cream Candy Bars Make Their Nationwide Debut

Wells Enterprises and Ferrero North America are inviting fans to Double Treat Themselves to the iconic candy bars they love and their indulgent ice cream counterparts

LE MARS, Iowa, April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Indulgence is evolving, with layers of crunch and chew rising to the top of what consumers crave. Backed by data, Datassential's 2026 Trends Report names texture one of the year's top "New Classics,"¹ reshaping how people think about indulgence. Now that shift is hitting the freezer aisle: Wells Enterprises and Ferrero North America launched Butterfinger® Ice Cream Candy Bar, Baby Ruth® Ice Cream Candy Bar and 100 Grand® Ice Cream Candy Bar nationwide, bringing candy bar texture to real ice cream. These multisensory moments are defining snackability across food culture, social channels, and everyday moments.

"The ice cream bar category has long been defined by simplicity, including smooth coatings, uniform textures, and straightforward formats," said Isabella Chia, Chief Marketing Officer at Wells Enterprises. "With Butterfinger, Baby Ruth, and 100 Grand, we didn't just translate a candy bar into a frozen format. We engineered each bar from the inside out, starting with the texture that made those candies iconic and building up from there with real ice cream and quality ingredients that deliver on every bite."

Each ice cream bar is built around the signature textural identity that has made its candy counterpart a cultural icon:

• Butterfinger® Ice Cream Candy Bar features rich Butterfinger-flavored ice cream layered with the brand's iconic crispy peanut-butter crunch and blanketed in a smooth chocolatey coating. The crispety, crunchety peanut-buttery one-of-a-kind experience hits immediately, and doesn't quit.

• Baby Ruth® Ice Cream Candy Bar offers chewy nougat-flavored ice cream packed with whole roasted peanuts and ribboned with flowing caramel, all encased in a decadent chocolatey shell. Every bite delivers a distinct and evolving sensory experience — chew layered on crunch layered on caramel.

• 100 Grand® Ice Cream Candy Bar delivers luxuriously creamy caramel-flavored ice cream embedded with crispy crunchies and finished with an additional layer of rich caramel beneath a chocolatey shell that makes every bar a complete sensory event from first bite to last.

"Butterfinger, Baby Ruth, and 100 Grand have built loyal followings for a reason. These are brands with real equity and deeply devoted fans. Bringing them into the freezer aisle wasn't just a product decision; it was a brand one. We saw an opportunity to meet fans in a new occasion, deepen their connection to brands they already love, and introduce them to a new generation of consumers who are discovering these icons for the first time," said Catherine Bertrac, Senior Vice President Marketing for Kinder and FMC North America at Ferrero.

Butterfinger Ice Cream Candy Bar, Baby Ruth Ice Cream Candy Bar, and 100 Grand Ice Cream Candy Bar are available in the frozen treat aisle at retailers nationwide. Each flavor is sold in a pack of six at a suggested retail price of $5.99. All three bars are made with real ice cream and contain peanuts. To learn more about allergen and nutritional information, please contact the Wells Enterprises, Inc. or Ferrero North America teams. High-Res imagery can be found HERE. To find a retailer near you and learn more about these frozen treats, visit doubletreatyourself.com. Join the conversation on social media by tagging @wellseninc and @ferreronacorp.

About Wells Enterprises, Inc.
Wells Enterprises, Inc. is the largest privately held ice cream manufacturer in the United States. Founded in 1913 and headquartered in Le Mars, Iowa — recognized as the Ice Cream Capital of the World — the company produces more than 200 million gallons of ice cream per year and distributes products across all 50 states. Wells is an independent operating company of the Ferrero Group and manufactures its signature brands Blue Bunny®, Halo Top®, Bomb Pop® and Blue Ribbon Classics®. For more information, visit www.wellsenterprisesinc.com.

About Ferrero North America
Ferrero began in the small town of Alba in Piedmont, Italy, in 1946. Today, it is one of the world's largest sweet-packaged food companies, with over 35 iconic brands sold in more than 170 countries. The Ferrero Group brings joy to people around the world with much-loved treats and snacks including Nutella®, Kinder®, Tic Tac®, and Ferrero Rocher®. More than 47,000 employees are passionate about helping people celebrate life's special moments. The Ferrero Group's family culture, now in its third generation, is based on dedication to quality and excellence, heritage and commitment to the planet and communities in which we operate.

Ferrero entered the North American market in 1969 and has grown to more than 5,400 employees in 15 plants and warehouses, and eight offices in North America across the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. It has expanded its presence and portfolio with the addition of iconic brands such as Butterfinger®, CRUNCH®, Keebler®, Famous Amos®, Mother's Cookies®, and other distinctive cookie and chocolate brands. Follow @FerreroNorthAmerica on Instagram. www.ferreronorthamerica.com.

Media Contacts:

Ferrero Media Contact: [email protected]
Wells Press Office: [email protected]
Wells Media Contact: [email protected]

¹ Datassential 2026 Trends Report, November 2025. https://datassential.com/resource/food-and-beverage-trends-2026/

SOURCE Wells Enterprises, Inc.