Who owns Cold Stone Creamery?
Cold Stone Creamery is owned by MTY Group (Canada, TSX: MTY), which has owned the brand since 2016.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: MTY Food Group Inc. Management's Discussion and Analysis for the 13 and 26-week periods ended May 31, 2026. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- MTY Food Group Inc. reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇨🇦 Canada, Saint-Laurent, Québec
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Category
- Restaurants & foodservice › Quick-service restaurants › Ice cream & dessert chains
- Parent ticker
- TSX: MTY
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery is an American ice cream chain and the largest single banner in the MTY network, producing about 17 per cent of all sales made under MTY names. MTY acquired it in July 2016 as the lead brand of Kahala Brands, a purchase that brought 2,839 franchised locations across more than a dozen banners. MTY describes it as a premium experiential destination, and names frozen treats as the category whose sales vary most with winter weather, which is why the group's results are seasonal.
Ownership timeline of Cold Stone Creamery
Where Cold Stone Creamery sits in MTY Group
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full MTY Group ownership tree →
See the full MTY Group brand portfolio (8) →
Other brands owned by MTY Group
MTY Group controls 8 brands on Brandtree, 8 of them in restaurants & foodservice.
Also in restaurants & foodservice
Other brands in ice cream & dessert chains, and who owns them
MTY Group has more brands in ice cream & dessert chains on Brandtree than any other owner: 2 of 9.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Dairy Queen | Berkshire Hathaway | 🇺🇸 United States |
| La Estación | Dos Pinos | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| Milky Lane | Famous Brands | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| Helados Bon | Grupo Nutresa | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| Ibaco | Hatsun Agro | 🇮🇳 India |
| Baskin-Robbins | Inspire Brands | 🇺🇸 United States |
| MIXUE | Mixue | 🇨🇳 China |
About the owner: MTY Group
MTY Group is a publicly listed company headquartered in Saint-Laurent, Québec, Canada. Brandtree records 8 brands under its control, and it is listed as TSX: MTY.
MTY Food Group is a Montreal franchisor of quick-service, fast-casual and casual dining restaurants, with 7,040 locations at 31 May 2026 under more than eighty banners, almost all of them run by franchisees. It grew by acquisition: the American group Kahala Brands in 2016, Papa Murphy's in 2019, and BBQ Holdings and Wetzel's Pretzels in 2022. Cold Stone Creamery and Papa Murphy's are the only two banners that each account for more than a tenth of sales across its network. In November 2025 its board confirmed a strategic review that could include a sale of all or part of the company.
🇺🇸 Cold Stone Creamery and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,399 brands that began in the United States. 461 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Cold Stone Creamery among them.
- Applebee's — Dine Brands 🇺🇸
- Arby's — Inspire Brands 🇺🇸
- Bonefish Grill — Bloomin' Brands 🇺🇸
- Burger King — Restaurant Brands International 🇨🇦
- Caribou Coffee — Panera Brands 🇺🇸
- Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen — Darden 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Cold Stone Creamery?
The parent company of Cold Stone Creamery is MTY Group, a publicly listed company headquartered in Canada.
Is Cold Stone Creamery American or Canadian?
Cold Stone Creamery originated in the United States, but it is owned today by MTY Group, which is headquartered in Canada. So Cold Stone Creamery is an American-origin brand under Canadian ownership.
Since when has MTY Group owned Cold Stone Creamery?
MTY Group has owned Cold Stone Creamery since 2016.
Is Cold Stone Creamery still owned by MTY Group?
Yes. As of 2 October 2026, Cold Stone Creamery is still owned by MTY Group. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] MTY Food Group Inc. Management's Discussion and Analysis for the 13 and 26-week periods ended May 31, 2026 — MTY Food Group Inc., Annual report; retrieved 2 October 2026.
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