OAKBROOK TERRACE, IL – December 4, 2025 – Prairie Capital Advisors, Inc. (“Prairie”), a leading middle-market investment bank, acted as financial advisor to Graeter’s Ice Cream Company (“Graeter’s” or “Company”) in its transition to an employee stock ownership plan (“ESOP”) company. Prairie acted as exclusive financial advisor in this transaction to Graeter’s and its shareholders and was led by Tom DeSimone and Tim Jamison of Prairie. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Graeter’s Ice Cream Company is a family-owned company based in Cincinnati, Ohio that produces handcrafted ice cream and sorbet using its century-old French Pot and small-batch method. Still making just 2½ gallons at a time, Graeter’s has earned national acclaim for its rich, artisanal flavors and commitment to quality. The Company operates 50 retail stores, ships over 300,000 pints annually through online orders, and is sold in more than 6,000 grocery stores across 46 states.
Prairie worked closely with the leadership team and sellers, providing ESOP advisory expertise, and managing the preparatory, due diligence and negotiation phases of the ESOP transaction, as well as structuring the financing for the transaction.
“We’ve been committed to doing things the right way for more than a century. The ESOP enables us to remain independent, stay true to our values, and empower our team as collective owners of Graeter’s future,” said Rich Graeter, CEO at Graeter’s.
“The Graeter family’s dedication to preserving the Company’s legacy while creating new opportunities for employees made this a truly rewarding transaction. We’re proud to have guided them through this important moment in the Company’s history,” added Tom DeSimone, Managing Director at Prairie.
Tim Jamison, Managing Director at Prairie, also commented, “Being based in Kentucky, I’ve enjoyed Graeter’s for many years. Getting to meet the shareholders and management team—and helping guide such an iconic company into employee ownership—has been one of the highlights of my career. I know I’ll continue to enjoy Graeter’s ice cream for years to come, and it will taste even better knowing the ESOP transition helps preserve the Company’s legacy for generations.”
About Prairie Capital Advisors
Prairie is a leading financial advisory firm specializing in creating and executing ownership transition strategies for middle-market companies nationwide. In 2023, Prairie was named ESOP Investment Bank of the Year by M&A Atlas. For more information, visit www.prairiecap.com.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact
Wendy Gugora, Director of Marketing
Prairie Capital Advisors, Inc.
630.413.5574
wgugora@prairiecap.com
