The Flavour Graveyard: Where Flavours Are Laid to Rest
We’ve created a lot of euphoric flavours over the years, but for better or worse, some of them have moved on to the great waffle cone in the sky, otherwise known as our Flavour Graveyard.
We’ve created a lot of euphoric flavours over the years, but for better or worse, some of them have moved on to the great waffle cone in the sky, otherwise known as our Flavour Graveyard.
Gone, But Not Forgotten
When concocting as many euphoric flavours as Ben & Jerry’s has over the years, it’s inevitable that some of those flavours will meet their untimely end; and we’re not talking about spooning out the last bite of ice cream. It’s tragic, we know, but not all our chunky, funky flavours are born to be favourites. Our Flavour Gurus are dreamers and love to experiment, but sometimes those flavours flop, and we need to lay them to rest to make room for new flavours.
But, Why??
When it comes to cause of death, there are many reasons a flavour may meet their maker, from too expensive to simply too strange. We know it’s no consolation, but sometimes knowing what happened can help in the grieving process. Most often, we’ll send a flavour out to pasture that not enough of our fans were digging, with their spoons or their hearts. A fallen flavour may have had some loyal lovers, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough to help it survive. But fear not, the circle of life is always completed with a new concoction to take the place of a flavour that didn’t make it.
For those that do not live on, we make sure they have a happy resting place befitting their place in Ben & Jerry’s history.
Rest In Peace
Enter the Flavour Graveyard, where we pay tribute to the flavours that are no longer bites on your spoon … because they’ve bitten the dust. We know it’s a difficult time, which is why we offer a place to visit and mourn these losses.
The Flavour Graveyard exists in two incarnations: on Ben & Jerry’s websites around the world, and also at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Waterbury, Vermont. Yes, there is an actual Flavour Graveyard on a hill overlooking our factory, complete with granite headstones and witty epitaphs for each flavour. Oh, and what’s buried beneath the headstones you might ask? Just warm memories of the flavours we miss most, and the cold reality of their unpopular demise.
The physical Flavour Graveyard was erected in 1997 and originally held just 4 flavours, which only existed in the United States: Dastardly Mash, Economic Crunch, Ethan Almond and Tuskegee Chunk. Since then, the Graveyard has grown to include over 35 flavors, including Wavy Gravy, Miz Jelena’s Sweet Potato Pie, Dublin Mudslide, Holy Cannoli and many more (mostly) beloved departees. With over 300,000 annual visitors to the factory, we’re guessing that as many as a quarter-million mourners pay their respects at the Flavour Graveyard each year. And considering the countless online visitors to the digital Flavour Graveyard, that’s a heck of a lot of sweet sorrow!
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