There’s bad news in the world of ice cream – Klondike has confirmed that the Choco Taco is being discontinued! The company cited the need to “ensure availability of our full portfolio nationwide” as the reason.
Choco Tacos were invented in Philadelphia in 1983 by Alan Drazen, the Senior Vice President of the Jack and Jill Ice Cream Company. He realized that the company didn’t have any unique products, besides conventional ice cream fare. After noticing the increasing popularity of Mexican food, he came up with the idea of the Choco Taco.
The product was launched in 1984, and was originally distributed wholesale to ice cream trucks and convenience stores. It first appeared in grocery stores in 1996, and was introduced to Italy in 1998 as the “Winner Taco”.
Soon after their introduction, the ice cream treat became available at Taco Bell, a partnership that would last until 2015. Though it was reintroduced at select locations earlier this year.
A lot of people are upset about the disappearance of Choco Taco. Among them is Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who tweeted Klondike’s parent company Unilever, offering to buy the rights to keep it alive for future generations. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy also jokingly tweeted that he was ready to invoke the Defense Production Act to mandate the continued manufacture of Choco Taco.
The Klondike twitter account has said that they’re hoping to find a way to bring Choco Taco back to ice cream trucks in the coming years. For now, if you want one last Choco Taco fix, you can still find them around as retailers sell through their remaining inventory.
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