About Us
Discover our commitment to exceptional service, quality products, and innovative solutions that drive success for our customers across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Northern New York, and Northern Massachusetts.
Our story
In 1909 our founders Henry and Josephine Thibodeau, my Great Grandparents. Risked it all. They left the textile mill and purchased a farm in Saco, Maine. With the American dream as their driving force, they worked that farm and provided for their family.
My great grandfather said often, “work hard and embrace success, but never forget the people that helped you”. In 1924 they risked it all again and started their business. They had amazing neighborhood families that helped make that possible. Those families came along for the ride. My great grandfather never forgot them. He adopted some of the children that needed help and took in families that were struggling. Together with my great uncle, a war hero back from years of hard fighting. They worked endlessly on the farm and sold milk and other items to neighbors with a horse and wagon until it was a success. Our company has endured many changes over 100 years but our values have not!
My grandfather followed his father’s wisdom with his wife Betty, by his side. They built a large home delivery business and later started a milk hauling company. After that, a bottling company. While remaining debt free, a key fundamental to our strength. He was full of ideas and dreams and his competitive personality drove the family business to new places. They brought everybody they could with them along for the ride.
My father Herve Thibodeau also followed in the family footprints and built an amazing ice cream distribution company in the state of Maine. He was an incredible salesman that built brands better than most. He was the second Ben and Jerry distributor ever and brought Hagan-Daz, among many others, to this area from Boston. He understood how to build a portfolio of great items. It was a pleasure to work beside him until he retired in 2015. We always kept the business debt free and made room for friends and family to join. He is still my advisor and best friend to this day.
These three generation of great men and women found joy and fulfillment in hard work. They loved business and loved the people around them even more. A wonderful legacy of honor, loyalty, and values was built. Something not found very often anymore.
When I entered the business in 1999, I had no grand plan. Yet, I knew without a doubt I wanted to work harder than anybody I knew. I took so much pride in coming up through the business the “Hard way”, and I did it most days with a smile. I knew I had deep footprints to fill. I wanted to enjoy each position I had and make it better for all that would fill those positions after me. I wanted to honor the family legacy and become a part of other people’s stories. Our business was a vessel to provide a better life for many, and still is.
I knew the stories of hard work and uncomfortable change well. I believed in my heart and still do, that money means nothing but the people you share your time with mean everything! I never pretended to be an ivy league educated businessman. Quite the opposite, I am a hard-working normal person that calls his coworkers friends and leans on family for support. Purchasing the family business was the most fearful thing I had ever done. Yet, I knew it had to continue.
Today, my wife Michelle and our 2 children (generation 5) Grace and Andrew are in business now. Along side us is my sister Mary and many other family members and many more friends. We remain debt free and make all decisions with a promise to uphold our values before anything else.
H.C.Thibodeau’s has the privilege of serving thousands of incredible customers across five states now. We get to practice and live out our principles every day. Our amazing employees and their families add indescribable value to our lives, and I wouldn’t change that for anything. I feel undeserving to have the ability to watch so many families grow and thrive around us. My promise has always been to keep this business growing and to take as many people along for the ride. Hopefully for another 100 years and beyond.
Herve Thibodeau
Owner / CEO
H.C.Thibodeaus Northeast Distribution
Timeline
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1899
10-year-old Henry and his 7-year-old brother, Joe, lose their mother and are sent to live with an uncle in Montana to work on a ranch as cowboy’s. They form a pact to never leave each other, and forge an everlasting strength and belief if you help someone up, everyone wins. Ten years after becoming cowboy’s, they move to Biddeford, Maine to reconnect with four of their sisters who settled there earlier.
1909
Henry Thibodeau and his new wife purchase a dairy farm, leaving his mill job behind.
1915
Henry and his brother, Joe, go to enlist in WW1 but the government won’t take Henry because they need a farmer for food supply. Henry promises his brother the farm will be theirs when he returns.
1919
After WWI Henry’s brother returns from the war and the two are reunited. Having a cowboys spirit, they begin their milk routes delivering directly to customers.
1940
Henry’s son, Herve, enters the business from college.
1941
Herve Thibodeau sees the need for safety in milk products and starts dairy processing company “H. Thibodeau & Sons Dairy” servicing 3 cities in Maine.
1949
Herve Thibodeau starts “Town & Country Ice Cream” by opening a successful ice cream stand and restaurant.
1954
Herve Thibodeau starts a Wholesale ice cream division of Town & Country
1969
H. Thibodeau & Sons sell milk company to Oakhurst dairy and continue their wholesale ice cream business.
1970
3rd generation Thibodeau enters the business, sharing his fathers name, Herve Thibodeau, and takes over management of 27 small wholesale accounts to begin another journey of the family business.
1972
H. Thibodeau & Sons rebrand the name to Thibodeau Farms.
1973
Herve Thibodeau II, stops manufacturing ice cream and aligns with H.P Hood to become a Southern Maine distributor
1974
Thibodeau’s Farms reopens its bottling plant, producing milk for Cumberland Farms in Maine.
1975
Thibodeau’s opens a milk transportation business, trucking through Maine and New Hampshire.
1980
Thibodeau’s purchases Penguin Ice Cream to expand area in Central Maine.
1986
Thibodeau’s becomes Good Humors’ first ice cream distributor for Maine.
1988
Thibodeaus sells milk transportation business and closes processing plant to focus 100% on ice cream distribution
1990
Thibodeau’s distribution expands to Northern New Hampshire.
1999
4th generation Thibodeau enters business – Herve, Jr.
2000
Thibodeau’s Farms rebrands to Thibodeau’s Ice Cream Distributing Company
2001
Thibodeaus expands under 4th generation to cover entire State of New Hampshire.
2006
Thibodeaus becomes exclusive distributor for Unilever brands (Ben & Jerry’s, Breyer’s, Klondike, Good Humor and Popsicle
2007
Thibodeaus expands to cover entire State of Maine.
2010
Herve Jr changes company focus and markets strictly to the impulse segment of the ice cream categories. This is well-received with 30% growth along with winning the “Raising the Bar“ award with national recognition from the Ice Cream Industry.
2011
Thibodeau’s creates a reconciliation platform for freezer equipment allowing for better service of over 1000 freezers inside stores. The company is recognized nationally and awarded the “Best Practice Award“
2013
Thibodeaus acquires Vermont Finest Ice cream distribution now covering the entire State of Vermont
2015
Thibodeau’s enters Upper State New York in one county.
2016-2017
Thibodeau’s Ice Cream Distributing Company rebrands to H.C. Thibodeau Northeast Distribution. Thibodeau’s achieves best performing distributor in United State by Unilever. Thibodeau’s expands to 5 counties covering Upper State New York.