China expansion helps Murphy's Ice Cream scoop tasty profits of €213k

Gordon Deegan

The expansion of the Murphy’s Ice Cream brand from Dingle into mainland China last year helped the gourmet ice-cream retailer to scoop post-tax profits of €213,608.

Sales of the firm’s signature ice cream flavours such as Brown Bread, Dingle Sea Salt, and Dingle Gin helped the company to revenues in the region of €4 million in 2024.

New abridged accounts filed by the ice-cream maker and retailer, Murphy’s Ice-Cream Ltd show that it enjoyed a bumper 2024 as post-tax profits increased by 179 per cent from €76,417 in 2023 to €213,608 last year.

The profits of 2024 and 2023 follow post tax profits of €121,488 in 2022 and €310,037 in 2021.

In an interview, co-founder and ceo of Murphy’s Ice Cream, Sean Murphy said that the performance of the company’s Chinese franchised operation is included in the results for 2024.

Mr Murphy said that through one franchise operator, Murphy’s Ice Cream now has three outlets in the Chinese city of Dalian.

Dalian has a population of over 6m and Mr Murphy said that the Chinese franchise operator has opened a third outlet in 2025 having already opened two outlets there.

Mr Murphy said that there is great potential for further expansion of Murphy's Ice Cream in China.

Established in 2000, the independent handmade ice-cream maker now operates six outlets here with two in Dingle and ones in Killarney, Galway, Cork and Wicklow Street in Dublin.

Mr Murphy said that at the high Summer season, the business can employ up to 120.

The native of Rockland County, New York said that the company expects to make a decision shortly on the expansion of the brand in the US.

Asked will the expansion be owner-operator based or a franchised operation, Mr Murphy said that both are under consideration. He said: “We are very careful about what our next move will be and we are looking at the US intensely at the moment.”

Mr Murphy said that the business performance for 2024 was “very good” and the company recorded an increase in revenues on 2023.

He said that he expects a further incremental increase in revenues in 2025.

The company also sells its ice-cream tubs through over 50 stockists located in Dublin, Kildare and Co Wicklow.

The post tax profit resulted in the company having accumulated profits of €496,627 at the end of December last.

Other flavours at the ice-cream retailer include Chocolate Whiskey and Honeycomb Caramel.

The company’s cash funds increased from €323,159 to €494,924 while shareholder funds increased from €750,534 to €964,142.

The profit last year takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of €32,451 along with a profit of €15,000 on the sale of tangible assets and €75,865 received in Government grants.