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Why is Choco Taco being discontinued? Klondike move to ax popular dessert sparks uproar

'I'm absolutely heartbroken and devastated... This by far is my favorite ice cream treat,' said a user

Choco Taco are being discontinued and the fans of this innovative snack are in disbelief. The Klondike product that came into existence in the '80s is now officially out of production but will be seen in the streets for some time as they clear out their inventory. It was marketed under the Klondike brand as 'The Original Ice Cream Taco' but was severely affected during the Covid-19 pandemic as they struggled to meet its demands. The innovative Taco brand will soon be out of business.

A Klondike Brand representative told CNN Business in an email, "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. It further reads, "We know this may be very disappointing." The pandemic forced incalculable companies to trim down their operations in order to merely survive. From ice cream trucks to being sold internationally by Unilever, Choco Taco saw a stream of success but was a victim of uncontrollable circumstances. 

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What was Choco Taco?

The product is almost 40 years old and was invented in Philadelphia in 1983 by Alan Drazen. Drazen was the Senior Vice President of the Jack and Jill Ice Cream Company who flipped the script by changing the appearance of an ice cream cone into a taco, made by a disk of waffle cone material. Other main ingredients were reduced-fat vanilla ice cream, artificially flavored fudge, peanuts, and a milk chocolate coating. 

In a 2016 interview with Eater, Drazen talked about his invention and said, "When you eat a sugar cone, you generally eat the nuts, chocolate, and ice cream on the top. With the Choco Taco you're getting the ice cream, cone, nuts, and chocolate with just about every bite." And how did he get the idea? Courtesy of a mirage. He shared, "I was on an expedition in Mexico and got separated from my party. It was hot. I hadn't had anything to drink. And then I saw a mirage. An ice cream taco, rising out of the distance. That's how I got the idea." 

Why was Choco Taco so popular?

The reason why Choco Taco became the gigantic product it is today is that it started locally. From coming out of mobile trucks, it connected with the street-level consumers first. Choco Taco first started rolling out in 1984, instantly becoming popular in vending trucks and convenience stores. Back then, Good Humor-Breyers, who were manufacturing it in Richmond, Virginia, played the biggest marketing stunt by calling Choco Taco "America's coolest taco" in 1996  at the Supermarket Industry Convention in Chicago.

Fast forward to 1998, Unilever stepped into the game and started rolling out the product in Italy under the name 'Winner Taco', through its Algida. Next year, it was introduced in Sweden as well. But merely a year later, both the markets discontinued the product. However, the fans campaigned long and hard and Choco Taco came back with a bang in 2014. After the product gained a lot traction, the company improved the product and introdcued a new shell that stayed crisper, and introduced new packaging as well. 

Who owns Klondike?

Klondike Bar, or Klondike, is a Good Humor-Breyers ice cream novelty and was created by William Isaly, the founder of the Isaly Dairy Company of Mansfield, Ohio in the early 1920s. It was named Klondike River of Yukon, Canada. The rights to the name were eventually sold to Good Humor-Breyers, which itself is a division of Unilever. The best-selling Klondike product is easily its vanilla bar which sold 98 million units in 2021 alone. 

'RIP to the Choco Taco'

Many customers did not respond well as they heard the news. One user couldn't hold it together and wrote, "These are freaking incredible why just why why not just take the regular ice cream bars which don't get me wrong are good but these are freaking good this is a sin." Another user wrote, "I'm absolutely heartbroken and devastated... This by far is my favorite ice cream treat. I used to get this before the walking to the theater with my best friend."

One user pointed out that they were hard to find but were amazing and wrote, "This is upsetting. Best ice cream ever. So much better than their Klondikes, but they were really hard to find." Another user wrote, "RIP to the Choco Taco. Who got that clip of homie doing that skit of how your momma would cuss you out when you called her job for dumb shit like asking if you could have some of her ice cream after you ate all your Choco Tacos. Please let that clip ride we lost a real one today."

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