Double Rainbow

Double Rainbow is an American premium frozen-dessert brand based in San Francisco, California. Its principal products include ice cream, sorbets, non-dairy frozen desserts, and soy-based offerings sold in retail packaging and larger food-service containers. The brand was founded in 1976 by Michael Sachar and Steven Fink, childhood friends from Brooklyn who had earlier sold frozen popsicles on the beaches of Coney Island and hoped eventually to operate an ice cream shop of their own. The company's name originated on September 28, 1976, when Sachar and Fink signed the lease for their first shop on Castro Street in San Francisco. A double rainbow appeared over the city that day, inspiring the name. The Castro location became a neighborhood fixture during the 1970s and 1980s and helped establish the brand's association with San Francisco's food and community culture. That local connection was later reinforced when former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown referred to Double Rainbow as the city's “Official Ice Cream.” Double Rainbow developed from a scoop-shop business into a packaged-products operation with local and national distribution. Its products have been sold through grocery retailers and large chains, including Safeway and Whole Foods, as well as through food-service channels. The range has included more than 60 flavors, packaged in pint and quart formats and in 2.5-gallon tubs. Seasonal offerings have included Pumpkin, Peppermint Cookie Crunch, and Eggnog. The portfolio spans conventional dairy ice cream as well as sorbet, non-dairy, and soy-based products. The company's ice creams are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union. The brand's public profile has also been shaped by competition recognition. In 1982, Double Rainbow won the top prize in the Great American Lick-Off. It subsequently received additional awards, including a Grand Champion designation at the World Dairy Expo, according to reference material about the company. These distinctions supported its premium positioning and emphasized product quality rather than mass-market scale alone. For more than four decades, manufacturing took place in San Francisco's Mission District. In 2019, production relocated to Emeryville, California, while the company continued to identify with San Francisco. In November 2020, Double Rainbow returned to the Castro District with a new scoop shop near the site of its original store. That location closed on March 31, 2025, but the closure concerned the retail shop rather than establishing that the broader packaged brand had ended. Available reference material describes Double Rainbow as a continuing family-owned and operated business distributing products through grocery and retail outlets in the United States.

Double Rainbow traces its origins to Michael Sachar and Steven Fink, two childhood friends from Brooklyn. Before entering the ice-cream business, the pair sold frozen popsicles on Coney Island beaches and developed the ambition of opening a permanent ice cream parlor. They moved that ambition to San Francisco, where they signed the lease for their first shop on Castro Street on September 28, 1976. According to the account of the company's founding, a double rainbow appeared in the San Francisco sky on the same day, providing the inspiration for the brand name. The Castro shop became an important part of the surrounding neighborhood during the 1970s and 1980s. Double Rainbow's early identity was therefore tied not only to frozen desserts but also to the experience of visiting a local scoop shop. Over time, the business expanded beyond direct retail service into packaged ice cream and frozen desserts distributed through grocery stores and other retail outlets. This development enabled the company to serve customers outside the Bay Area while retaining its San Francisco origin story. The brand built a premium reputation through flavor breadth and product variety. Reference material describes a portfolio of more than 60 flavors, offered in pint and quart packages as well as 2.5-gallon tubs for larger-scale service. The range has included standard dairy ice creams, sorbets, non-dairy products, and soy-based products. Seasonal products have included Pumpkin, Peppermint Cookie Crunch, and Eggnog. The company's ice creams are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, adding a formal certification dimension to its product credentials. Double Rainbow also received recognition in frozen-dessert competitions. In 1982, it won the top prize in the Great American Lick-Off. The company is also reported to have received a Grand Champion award at the World Dairy Expo. Such recognition contributed to the brand's premium and quality-oriented image. Its local standing was further reflected in former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown's description of Double Rainbow as the city's “Official Ice Cream.” Manufacturing remained in San Francisco's Mission District for more than 40 years. In 2019, the company relocated manufacturing to Emeryville, California. The production move represented an operational change, but the brand continued to market and distribute products with a strong San Francisco connection. Double Rainbow maintained retail ties to its original home as well: in November 2020, it opened a new scoop shop in the Castro District near the site of the original store. That shop closed on March 31, 2025. The available reference material does not identify the closure as a termination of the overall brand, whose products have continued to be described as available through grocery and retail distribution in the United States. Throughout its documented history, Double Rainbow has remained a family-owned and operated business. Its evolution combines a neighborhood ice cream parlor heritage, a broad packaged-product portfolio, national retail distribution, and continued association with San Francisco.

• 2025

  Castro scoop shop closes

  [1]Double Rainbow (ice cream)en.wikipedia.org

  The Castro District scoop shop closed on March 31, 2025.

• 2020

  Return to the Castro District

  [1]Double Rainbow (ice cream)en.wikipedia.org

  The brand opened a scoop shop in San Francisco's Castro District near the original location in November 2020.

• 2019

  Manufacturing moves to Emeryville

  [1]Double Rainbow (ice cream)en.wikipedia.org

  After more than four decades in San Francisco's Mission District, manufacturing relocated to Emeryville, California.

• 1982

  Great American Lick-Off victory

  [1]Double Rainbow (ice cream)en.wikipedia.org

  Double Rainbow won the top prize in the Great American Lick-Off.

• 1976

  First Castro Street shop opens

  [1]Double Rainbow (ice cream)en.wikipedia.org

  Michael Sachar and Steven Fink signed the lease for Double Rainbow's first ice cream shop on Castro Street on September 28, 1976. The appearance of a double rainbow that day inspired the company name.

A San Francisco-rooted premium ice cream and frozen-dessert brand combining neighborhood scoop-shop heritage with packaged grocery distribution. Its positioning emphasizes flavor variety, local identity, quality recognition, and inclusion of dairy-free and soy-based alternatives.

• Ice cream · 1976

  Dairy ice cream

  Double Rainbow's core product line consists of premium dairy ice creams sold in retail pints and quarts and in larger 2.5-gallon tubs. The brand is reported to offer more than 60 flavors, combining year-round varieties with seasonal releases. Its ice creams carry Orthodox Union kosher certification.

• Frozen dessert

  Sorbet

  Sorbet is part of Double Rainbow's broader frozen-dessert portfolio and provides a fruit-based alternative to dairy ice cream. Specific flavors and launch dates are not identified in the available reference material.

• Plant-based frozen dessert

  Non-dairy and soy-based frozen desserts

  Double Rainbow's portfolio includes non-dairy and soy-based frozen products intended for customers seeking alternatives to conventional dairy ice cream. The available reference material does not specify individual current products or launch dates.

• Limited or seasonal ice cream

  Seasonal flavors

  The brand has offered seasonal flavors including Pumpkin, Peppermint Cookie Crunch, and Eggnog. These products illustrate Double Rainbow's use of rotating flavors alongside its broader catalog.

• 2020

  Reopen a Castro District scoop shopOther

  Background

  Double Rainbow's original Castro Street shop had been a neighborhood fixture, and the company sought a retail presence near the historic site.

  Action taken

  The brand opened a new scoop shop in San Francisco's Castro District in November 2020.

  Aftermath

  The location later closed on March 31, 2025. No further operating details are provided in the available source.

  Source

• 2019

  Relocate manufacturing to EmeryvilleStrategy

  Background

  Double Rainbow had manufactured products in San Francisco's Mission District for more than 40 years before changing production location.

  Action taken

  The company moved manufacturing operations to Emeryville, California, while retaining its San Francisco-based brand identity.

  Aftermath

  The move shifted production outside San Francisco; the available reference material does not provide financial or capacity consequences.

  Source

1. 1Double Rainbow (ice cream)en.wikipedia.org