Miko
Miko is a French ice-cream brand founded in Saint-Dizier and now owned by The Magnum Ice Cream Company.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Miko is a French ice-cream brand whose roots lie in the Ortiz family's migrant food business in the early twentieth century. Its commercial history began in Saint-Dizier, in the Haute-Marne department, where Luis Ortiz established himself as a travelling merchant in 1921. He initially sold roasted chestnuts from a street cart and supplemented that trade with ice cream. Other members of the Spanish Ortiz family had settled in Normandy after arriving in France and operated an earlier ice-cream business known as Glaces Pompon. The Ortiz family adapted the emerging idea of a chocolate-coated ice-cream bar on a stick. The concept had been popularized in the United States through the use of coconut oil to help set the chocolate coating, and an Ortiz relative brought the idea into the family's French business in 1925. This product became known as the Ortiz stick and gave the company a distinctive format that later remained central to Miko's identity. The business expanded through direct selling in regional towns, fairs and cinemas. Sales accelerated after the Liberation of France, when American troops stationed around Saint-Dizier became familiar with Ortiz ice creams. In 1951, the family modernized the brand by renaming it Miko. The name was formed from nicknames associated with the family and its associates rather than from a descriptive food term. Four years later, the company acquired the former Brasserie de Fort Carré in Saint-Dizier and installed an industrial production facility equipped with automated machinery imported from the United States. Miko grew from a regional vendor into a major French frozen-food business. During the 1970s and 1980s, the company increased its public visibility through sponsorship of cycling teams and the Tour de France. By the mid-1980s, it employed approximately 1,100 people and supplied around 10,000 points of sale. In 1986, it acquired Frigécrème, a Nantes ice-cream manufacturer previously owned by BSN, broadening its industrial and distribution base. At the beginning of the 1990s, the Ortiz-Miko business was described as France's leading group in very-cold food products. It had an international footprint spanning markets in North America, Africa, Oceania and Asia, and historical accounts reported approximately 6,000 employees and turnover of five billion French francs at that time. These figures belong to the period before its sale and should not be interpreted as current brand performance. Ownership changed in 1994, when Unilever acquired the declining company for a reported €413 million. Miko was incorporated into Unilever's frozen-food division, COGESAL, which was renamed COGESAL-MIKO. Within the portfolio, Miko subsequently displaced Motta as the group's principal French ice-cream brand. Production in Saint-Dizier moved from the original facility to the Trois-Fontaines industrial zone. The former factory's Miko tower has since been associated with a museum and cinema. Miko is now part of The Magnum Ice Cream Company, the Unilever ice-cream business established as a separate corporate group. The brand remains associated with French ice cream, impulse products and its Saint-Dizier heritage. It is also identified as the official ice-cream supplier of Disneyland Paris. Available historical material provides substantial information about Miko's origins, industrial expansion and ownership changes, but does not establish a current product catalogue, present sales figures, executive roster or standalone corporate website.
History
Miko's history developed from a Spanish family's migration to France and the transformation of small-scale street vending into industrial ice-cream manufacturing. Members of the Ortiz family settled in Normandy in 1919 and created Glaces Pompon. Luis Ortiz, born in San Pedro del Romeral in 1889, established himself in Saint-Dizier in 1921. He travelled through the area with a vending cart, selling roasted chestnuts and making ice cream as a second business. The family later adopted the chocolate-coated ice-cream stick format. An American innovation had shown that coconut oil could help create a stable chocolate shell around frozen confectionery. An Ortiz cousin introduced this concept to the family operation in 1925, producing what became known as the Ortiz stick. The format gave the business a portable product suitable for itinerant sales and helped connect the family enterprise with the growing market for impulse ice cream. In its early years, the company relied on family labour and mobile distribution. Parents and children travelled around the region on scooters, selling products directly to consumers. The business benefited from the changing social and commercial environment after the Second World War. American troops in and around Saint-Dizier discovered Ortiz ice creams, while sales expanded at fairs and cinemas. These venues helped the company move beyond its original street-trading base. The brand name Miko was introduced in 1951. It was assembled from personal nicknames associated with the family circle and was intended to give the business a more modern and memorable identity. Growth soon required a larger industrial base. In 1954, the company bought the former Brasserie de Fort Carré in Saint-Dizier and installed automated ice-cream machinery imported from the United States. This marked the transition from a local producer to a mechanized manufacturer capable of serving a much wider market. Miko's expansion brought it into competition with larger European and multinational groups, including Motta, Nestlé and Unilever. During the 1970s and 1980s, the brand used sports sponsorship to increase recognition, supporting cycling teams and the Tour de France. By this period, the business had become a substantial distribution operation, employing roughly 1,100 people and supplying about 10,000 points of sale. Its visibility in everyday retail and event settings reinforced its connection with popular French consumption. In 1986, Ortiz-Miko bought Frigécrème, a Nantes-based ice-cream manufacturer that had belonged to BSN, later known as Danone. The acquisition expanded the company's industrial resources and product presence. By 1990, historical accounts described Ortiz-Miko as the leading French group in very-cold food products. The same accounts reported approximately 6,000 employees and five billion French francs in turnover, together with exports and commercial footholds in Canada, Egypt, Senegal, Réunion, Djibouti, New Caledonia, Japan and South Korea. The company subsequently experienced decline and internal inheritance disputes among the Ortiz heirs. In 1994, Unilever acquired the business for a reported €413 million. It was placed within COGESAL, Unilever's frozen-food division, and the division adopted the name COGESAL-MIKO. Miko later replaced Motta as the group's principal ice-cream brand in the relevant market. Production in Saint-Dizier moved to the Trois-Fontaines industrial zone, while the tower of the former factory became associated with a Miko museum and cinema. The brand is now owned by The Magnum Ice Cream Company. Historical references also identify Miko as the official ice-cream supplier of Disneyland Paris. The available record documents the brand's origins, manufacturing development, acquisitions, international reach and ownership transitions, but does not provide a verified current executive list, current revenue, current employment figures or a complete modern product range.
- 1994
Unilever purchase
[1]Unilever acquired Ortiz-Miko and integrated it into COGESAL, later renamed COGESAL-MIKO.
- 1990
Miko reaches peak historical scale
[1]Historical accounts described Ortiz-Miko as France's leading very-cold-foods group, with extensive exports and international operations.
- 1986
Frigécrème acquisition
[1]Ortiz-Miko bought the Nantes manufacturer Frigécrème from BSN.
- 1954
Saint-Dizier factory becomes industrialized
[1]The company acquired the former Brasserie de Fort Carré and installed automated production machinery imported from the United States.
- 1951
The Miko name is adopted
[1]The Ortiz family renamed the ice-cream business Miko.
- 1925
The Ortiz stick is introduced
[1]An Ortiz family member brought the chocolate-coated ice-cream stick concept into the business.
- 1921
Luis Ortiz begins trading in Saint-Dizier
[1]Luis Ortiz established a travelling food business in Saint-Dizier, selling roasted chestnuts and homemade ice cream.
- 1919
Ortiz family establishes itself in Normandy
[1]Members of the Ortiz family settled in Deauville and Trouville and created the Glaces Pompon ice-cream business.
Products and positioning
A French heritage ice-cream brand rooted in Saint-Dizier, combining mass-market frozen desserts with a long association with impulse consumption, public events and family manufacturing history.
Chocolate-coated ice-cream bar · 1925
Ortiz stick
The Ortiz stick was an early product format developed by the Ortiz family after it adopted the chocolate-coated ice-cream-on-a-stick concept in 1925. The format used a frozen ice-cream centre and an outer chocolate coating designed to set around the product. It helped make the company's ice cream portable and suitable for travelling sales, fairs and cinemas, and became an important predecessor to the later Miko product identity.
Branded ice cream · 1951
Miko ice creams
Miko's branded range developed from the Ortiz family's handmade and mobile ice-cream trade into factory-produced frozen desserts. The documented historical business served consumers through fairs, cinemas and approximately 10,000 points of sale during its expansion period. Available sources do not provide a sufficiently detailed current catalogue of flavours, pack sizes or sub-brands.
Marketing campaigns
- 1970Cycling and Tour de France sponsorship
France
During the 1970s and 1980s, Miko sponsored cycling teams and the Tour de France, using one of France's most visible sporting events to build broad consumer recognition.
Outcome. The sponsorship formed part of the brand's expansion in the French mass market, although the available source does not quantify its direct commercial effect.
Brand decisions
1994
Sale to UnileverM&ABackground
The Ortiz heirs were involved in inheritance disputes while the company was experiencing decline.
Action taken
Unilever acquired the Ortiz-Miko company and incorporated it into its COGESAL frozen-food division.
Aftermath
The division was renamed COGESAL-MIKO, Miko later displaced Motta as the group's ice-cream brand in the relevant market, and production moved to the Trois-Fontaines industrial zone in Saint-Dizier.
Reported acquisition price. €413 million (1994)
1986
Acquisition of FrigécrèmeM&ABackground
Ortiz-Miko was expanding its French frozen-food manufacturing and distribution base.
Action taken
The company acquired Frigécrème, a Nantes ice-cream manufacturer previously owned by BSN.
Aftermath
The transaction added another established French ice-cream manufacturing business to the Ortiz-Miko operation.
1954
Move to mechanized productionStrategyBackground
Growing sales required greater manufacturing capacity than the family's earlier small-scale operations could provide.
Action taken
The company bought the former Brasserie de Fort Carré in Saint-Dizier and installed automated American machinery.
Aftermath
The investment supported Miko's transition into an industrial ice-cream producer.
1951
Rebrand from Ortiz to MikoStrategyBackground
The family sought to modernize and consolidate the identity of its growing ice-cream business.
Action taken
The Ortiz family adopted the Miko name, derived from nicknames within the family circle.
Aftermath
Miko became the principal consumer-facing identity of the business.
Recent events
- 1994
Unilever acquires Ortiz-Miko[1]
M&A
Unilever bought the Ortiz-Miko company and integrated it into its frozen-food division, which was renamed COGESAL-MIKO.
- 1986
Miko acquires Frigécrème[1]
M&A
Miko purchased the Nantes ice-cream manufacturer Frigécrème from BSN, strengthening its position in the French frozen-food sector.
- 1954
Miko installs industrial ice-cream production in Saint-Dizier[1]
Other
The company acquired the former Brasserie de Fort Carré and installed automated equipment imported from the United States to increase manufacturing capacity.
- 1951
Miko adopts its current brand name[1]
Other
The Ortiz family renamed its ice-cream business Miko as part of an effort to modernize the brand.
Sources2 sources
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