Klondike Hints Choco Taco May Return After Consumer Outrage

This undated photo provided by Unilever shows the Choco Taco. Klondike has announced it&#0
Claire Grummon/Unilever via AP

The Choco Taco may not be dead after Klondike hinted the taco-shaped ice cream treat could return in the coming years

Claire Grummon/Unilever via AP)

When Klondike announced it was discontinuing the Choco Taco in July, social media users were sent into a meltdown. However, the backlash is seemingly causing the ice cream treat company to reconsider its decision.

In a statement to CNN Business on Friday, Klondike confirmed that it was considering bringing back the product.

“The overwhelming support for Choco Taco has certainly made us reconsider our long-term plans,” Klondike stated. “The team is working on a plan to bring it back, though it may take some time.”

Klondike, whose parent company is Unilever, also indicated to a saddened fan on social media this past week that the Choco Taco is not entirely dead.

“We know this is disappointing – we’ve heard our fans, and we’re hoping to bring this favorite treat back to ice cream trucks in the coming years,” Klondike said in reply to a fan on Twitter.

Despite the ambiguous hints, the company noted that it was not a certainty the ice cream product would make a comeback.

“There are currently no definite timelines for bringing the Choco Taco back,” Klondike said to CNN Business.

Following Klondike’s announcement of dropping the Choco Taco, many believed that it was part of a stunt to reintroduce the product and drive up sales.

The company responded to those claims in a July tweet as if the Choco Taco itself were announcing that the discontinuation was not part of a ruse.

“I want to address the rumors: I’m really being discontinued, it’s not a PR stunt,” Klondike, aka Choco Taco, tweeted. “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…”

“Over the past 2 years, we have experienced an unprecedented spike in demand across our portfolio and have had to make very tough decisions to ensure availability of our full portfolio nationwide,” Klondike explained in July as the reason it discontinued the product.

The Choco Taco consists of a waffle cone shaped like a taco, stuffed with vanilla ice cream and milk chocolate swirls, and is topped off with milk chocolate fudge and sprinkled peanut crumbs.

The treat was created by Alan Drezen in 1984 and initially sold out of an ice cream truck in the Philadelphia area. After proving itself popular, Unilever bought the rights to manufacture and distribute the ice cream product in 1989.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.

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