Dr. Bob's Ice Cream
Gone since late 2016. Small hoped the brand would reopen under new ownership; it never did, and the old web address now belongs to spammers.
Last verified Nov 7, 2026
Dr. Bob was real: Robert Small, dean of Cal Poly Pomona's hospitality school, started a superpremium ice cream brand in 1999 and turned the LA County Fair into his trophy case.
Filed under: Frozen & Dairy · the ’90s
📅 Timeline
- 1999Founded by Robert Small, retired dean of Cal Poly Pomona's hospitality management program.
- 2005Reviewed as a superpremium 'cult favorite,' sold online and across California, with a permanent dipping shop at the LA County Fairgrounds in Pomona.
- 2016Federal inspectors found listeria in the facility and finished products; five November recalls hit four client brands it co-packed, including McConnell's and Nancy's Fancy.
- 2016Small shut the company down in late October, citing 'business complications'; the closure was reported November 18.
❓ People also ask
Why did Dr. Bob's close?
A 2016 listeria finding at its Pomona plant triggered recalls of ice cream made there, and owner Robert Small shut the business down within weeks.
Did Dr. Bob's make other brands' ice cream?
Yes — it co-packed for McConnell's, Nancy's Fancy, L.A. Creamery and others, which is why those brands had to recall product when listeria turned up at the Dr. Bob's plant.
Is Dr. Bob's coming back?
No sign of it. Small hoped in 2016 the brand would reopen under new ownership; a decade on, nothing has, and the old web address belongs to spammers.
🧾 Sources
- Food Safety News, Dr. Bob's closes in wake of ice cream recalls for Listeria (2016)
- Food Dive, Dr. Bob's closes after ice cream listeria outbreak (2016)
- The Nibble, Dr. Bob's Superpremium Ice Cream (2009)