Who owns Swensen's (Asia and the Middle East)?
Swensen's (Asia and the Middle East) is operated by Minor International (Thailand, SET: MINT) under licence, an arrangement in place since 1986; Minor International does not own the name.[1][2] The name is owned by another company.
Evidence: Minor Hotels — our brands. Last checked .
Key facts
- Licensed to
- Minor International Public Company Limited reported
- Since
- Headquarters
- 🇹🇭 Thailand, Bangkok
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, San Francisco
- Founded
- 1948
- Category
- Restaurants & foodservice › Quick-service restaurants › Ice cream & dessert chains
- Parent ticker
- SET: MINT
- Last verified
- · 2 sources
About Swensen's (Asia and the Middle East)
Swensen's began as a San Francisco ice cream parlour in 1948. Minor Food acquired the master franchise rights to it in 1986, covering 32 countries across Asia and the Middle East, so it runs the restaurants without owning the name. The chain is far larger in Thailand than at home: 377 outlets at the end of 2024 in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, selling elaborate sundaes under the line "Happiness Never Melts".
Ownership timeline of Swensen's (Asia and the Middle East)
Where Swensen's (Asia and the Middle East) sits in Minor International
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Minor International ownership tree →
See the full Minor International brand portfolio (10) →
Other brands owned by Minor International
Minor International controls 11 brands on Brandtree, 3 of them in restaurants & foodservice.
Also in restaurants & foodservice
- The Coffee Club (1989)
- The Pizza Company (2001)
Other brands in ice cream & dessert chains, and who owns them
The 12 brands in ice cream & dessert chains on Brandtree belong to 11 owners. The largest is MTY Group, with 2.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Stone Creamery | MTY Group | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| After You | After You | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| Dairy Queen | Berkshire Hathaway | 🇺🇸 United States |
| La Estación | Dos Pinos | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| Milky Lane | Famous Brands | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| Helados Bon | Grupo Nutresa | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| Palazzo del Freddo Giovanni Fassi | Haitai | 🇰🇷 South Korea |
| Ibaco | Hatsun Agro | 🇮🇳 India |
About the owner: Minor International
Minor International is a publicly listed company headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand.
Minor International is a Thai hospitality and leisure group listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand as MINT, and it runs its business through Minor Hotels, Minor Food and Minor Lifestyle. Minor Hotels has more than 640 hotels, resorts and branded residences in operation and development across 67 countries under twelve brands, and lifted its core profit 32 per cent in 2025 to 6.84 billion baht. Minor Food operates more than 2,600 restaurant outlets in 24 countries, a mixture of brands it owns outright and international franchises it holds the rights to.
Minor International: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇺🇸 Swensen's (Asia and the Middle East) and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,570 brands that began in the United States. 501 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Swensen's (Asia and the Middle East) among them.
- Applebee's — Dine Brands 🇺🇸
- Arby's — Inspire Brands 🇺🇸
- Baja Fresh — MTY Group 🇨🇦
- Bonefish Grill — Bloomin' Brands 🇺🇸
- Burger King — Restaurant Brands International 🇨🇦
- Caribou Coffee — Panera Brands 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who makes Swensen's (Asia and the Middle East)?
Minor International makes and sells Swensen's (Asia and the Middle East) under a licensing agreement that has been in place since 1986.
Does Minor International own Swensen's (Asia and the Middle East)?
No. Minor International holds a licence to make and sell Swensen's (Asia and the Middle East), which is not the same as owning it.
Where did Swensen's (Asia and the Middle East) come from?
Swensen's (Asia and the Middle East) originated in the United States in 1948, in San Francisco.
Sources (2) & 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] Minor Hotels — our brands — Minor Hotels, Official document; retrieved 23 September 2026.
- [2] Minor Food — our business — Minor Food Group, Official document; retrieved 23 September 2026.
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