Klondike is discontinuing their Choco Taco product after nearly 40 years on the market, sending many fans on social media into meltdown.
Klondike, whose parent company is Unilever, confirmed the end of the product after a Twitter user asked if the rumor was true the frozen treat company was dropping the taco-shaped ice cream product.
“A necessary but unfortunate part of this process is that we sometimes must discontinue products, even a beloved item like Choco Taco,” Klondike responded, confirming the discontinuation.
“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,” the frozen dessert company explained in their reasoning.
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 (@Klondikebar) July 25, 2022
The ice cream company gave a similar response to Twitter users, expressing their disappointment or asking why the product was dropped.
The taco-shaped ice cream product was created by Alan Drezen, who worked for a family-owned ice-cream truck company named Jack & Jill in the Philadelphia region in 1983, according to Eater.
“When you eat a sugar cone, you generally eat the nuts, chocolate, and ice cream on the top, and then when you get to the cone, you’re [only] eating ice cream and cone,” Drazen told Eater. “With the Choco Taco you’re getting the ice cream, cone, nuts, and chocolate with just about every bite.”
The Choco Taco proved so popular at the time Unilever bought the license to manufacture and distribute the product in 1989; however, Jack & Jill kept the patent as Drezen created the product while employed for them.
The Taco Choco even once appeared on Taco Bell’s dessert menu until it was dropped in 2015, but it was briefly brought back for a limited time in February, according to Today.
Despite Klondike hinting their other dessert products were more popular than the Choco Taco for the past two years, social media users swarmed the frozen dessert company showing their discontent, albeit with hilarious responses.
People trying to process the loss of Choco Taco
pic.twitter.com/M7GK6I0ghL— I’m a Master of None, anymore question? (@english_shamar) July 25, 2022
Me after seeing why Choco Taco was trending on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/3YvXDYQNX3
— In My Mind (@MeAloneInMyMind) July 25, 2022
Sees why Choco Taco is trending: pic.twitter.com/8VFlgp6hLv
— Danny Armstrong (@DArmstrong44) July 25, 2022
One user on Twitter, whose post has received over 20,000 likes and 3,000 retweets, indicated while she and other fans were disappointed the Chaco Taco is gone, the product may not have been as popular as the social media outrage makes it appear that it was.
“[M]e finding out the choco taco is being discontinued even though i can’t remember the last time i had one,” the user tweeted.
me finding out the choco taco is being discontinued even though i can’t remember the last time i had one pic.twitter.com/xq7MXvIcZa
— kathleen (@kathleen_hanley) July 25, 2022
While many fans were disappointed — perhaps proving they would do anything for a Choco Taco — Klondike offered a glimmer of hope in one response to a Twitter user, saying the product may return to ice-cream trucks in the future, similar to its origin story.
We know Choco Taco is a huge fan favorite and a top seller for our out-of-home business, so this is particularly painful. We're working hard to find a way to bring Choco Taco back to ice cream trucks in the coming years.
— Klondike (@Klondikebar) July 25, 2022
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.