• by Teresa Buyikian , March 22, 2024

Long Beach, California-based Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream announced the company has appointed Jennifer Schuler as CEO.

Schuler joins Handel’s most recently from Wetzel’s Pretzels, where she first served as CMO, then president, rising to CEO during her last five years.

“We found (Schuler’s) highly relevant and proven capabilities and experience, combined with her strong focus on franchisee success, was a terrific fit for Handel’s,” said Andrew Brennan, board member for Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream. in a release.

Interestingly, during Schuler’s tenure at Wetzel’s, she personally became a franchisee in Minneapolis, running a Wetzel’s store, gaining firsthand experience.

Earlier in her career Schuler spent five years as a marketing manager at General Mills, as well as holding various senior executive roles for a private equity-backed consumer healthcare company and an education technology start-up.

The handcrafted ice cream parlor currently has almost 150 locations in 14 states including the recent opening of a flagship store in Clemson, South Carolina. The chain was founded in 1945, and reported that system sales rose from $29 million in 2019 to over $130 million expected for 2024.