Häagen-Dazs Vanilla
by Reuben and Rose Mattus · product · 1960
sparse entry
häagen-dazs vanilla ice cream was launched by reuben and rose mattus in 1960 as one of three original flavors (vanilla, chocolate, coffee). the recipe used cream, milk, sugar, and egg yolks with no emulsifiers or stabilizers other than egg yolk, and minimal air injection, producing a denser product than competitors. the low air content was the result of a factory accident when the air injection pump broke, which the mattuses kept as part of the formula.
reacted against
- Mass-market ice cream (1950s price war manufacturers)not yet generatedgenerate →
mattus created häagen-dazs in direct response to 1950s mass-producers who started a price war and degraded quality by using artificial ingredients and pumping products with air.
“When I came out with Häagen-Dazs, the quality of ice cream had deteriorated to the point that it was just sweet and cold. Ice cream had become cheaper and cheaper, so I just went the opposite way.”
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