Choco Taco was a Good Humor-Breyers ice cream novelty resembling a taco. It consisted of a disk of waffle cone material folded to resemble a hard taco shell, reduced-fat vanilla ice cream, artificially flavored fudge, peanuts, and a milk chocolate coating.[2] The Choco Taco was marketed under the Klondike brand as "The Original Ice Cream Taco".[3]
 A Choco Taco, unwrapped | |||||||
| Type | Chocolate | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course | Dessert | ||||||
| Place of origin | United States | ||||||
| Region or state | Pennsylvania | ||||||
| Created by | Alan Drazen | ||||||
| Invented | 1983 | ||||||
| Serving temperature | Cold | ||||||
| Main ingredients | Ice cream, sugar | ||||||
| 250 kcal (1047 kJ)[1] | |||||||
| |||||||
The Choco Taco was discontinued in 2022.[4]
History
edit1983–1999: Introduction and improvement
editThe Choco Taco was invented in Philadelphia in 1983 by Alan Drazen, a mobile food vendor manager for the Jack and Jill Ice Cream Company.[3] The product rolled out in 1984 and it became popular among mobile vending trucks and convenience stores.[3][failed verification][5][failed verification] It made its first appearance in supermarkets nationwide when Good Humor-Breyers, who were manufacturing it in Richmond, Virginia, promoted it in 1996 as "America's coolest taco" at the Supermarket Industry Convention in Chicago.
In 1998, Unilever introduced the Choco Taco to Italy and United Kingdom under the name Winner Taco through its subsidiaries Algida and Walls. In 1999 it was introduced in Sweden through another subsidiary, GB Glace, under the same name.[6][7][8]
In 1999, the company improved the product, incorporating a shell which stayed crisper, and introduced new packaging.[9] The same year, the company introduced a Klondike Cookies & Cream Choco Taco, containing cookies and cream ice cream and covered with cookie pieces.[10] Choco Tacos were also sold at some Taco Bell restaurants.[11]
2022: Discontinuation and aftermath
editKlondike discontinued the Choco Taco in July 2022.[4] According to an Associated Press fact check, Klondike discontinued the product due to a sharp increase in demand across its brands and to ensure the availability of the remainder of its products.[12] However, Klondike tweeted that "we are discussing next steps, including what to do with the last 912 (we counted) tacos at HQ. Stay tuned…" on July 28, 2022,[13] but have never followed up on this claim.
On July 25, 2022 Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian tweeted at Unilever, offering to buy the rights to the product.[14] When asked about this by Fortune, Ohanian confirmed that the offer was "very serious" but did not yet have any news to share.[15][16]
References
edit- ^ "Klondike, Choco Taco, Artificially Flavored Vanilla Light* Ice Cream With A Chocolate Flavored Swirl In A Sugar Taco With Milk Chocolate Flavored Coating And Peanuts". Klondikebar.com. July 11, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.[dead link]
- ^ Galarza, Daniela (2016-10-26). "The Ultimate Ice Cream Glossary, From A to Z". Eater. Archived from the original on 2017-08-18. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
- ^ a b c Cohen, Jason (2016-08-26). "The Origins of the Choco Taco". Eater. Archived from the original on 2019-01-09. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
- ^ a b Wiener-Bronner, Danielle (25 July 2022). "The Choco Taco is gone for good". CNN. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ "Tidbits". Time. 2005-04-12. Archived from the original on 7 Oct 2011. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
- ^ "Key word search: global dairy food trends". Dairy Foods. 1998. Archived from the original on 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ "Winner print ad". Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
- ^ "Winner Taco Ad". Archived from the original on 2021-12-14.
- ^ "Good Humor-Breyers Adds Products". Supermarket News. FindArticles. April 1999. Archived from the original on 2008-02-11.
- ^ Marotta, Lori Anne (1999-03-01). "Good Humor-Breyers Offers an Array of Products". Frozen Food Age. AllBusiness.com. Archived from the original on 2008-02-10. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ^ Doeff, Gail (March 1996). "Changing channels; as freezer cases fill, frozen dessert makers seek new growth avenues". Dairy Foods. FindArticles. Archived from the original on 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ^ "Fake headline distorts reason that Choco Tacos were discontinued". Associated Press. 27 July 2022. Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ^ Klondike. "I want to address the rumors: I'm really being discontinued, it's not a PR stunt. I knew you loved me, but not THIS much. While I reflect on this outpouring of support, we are discussing next steps, including what to do with the last 912 (we counted) tacos at HQ. Stay tuned…". Twitter. Archived from the original on 23 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ @alexisohanian (July 25, 2022). "Dear @Unilever — I'd like to buy the rights to your Choco Taco and keep it from melting away from future generations' childhoods" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Davis, Wynne (July 26, 2022). "The Choco Taco is dead, but it will never be forgotten". NPR. Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Mui, Christine (July 26, 2022). "Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian says he's 'very serious' about his offer to save the Choco Taco". Fortune. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
