Nothing makes us feel like kids again quite like hearing an ice cream truck spout its familiar jingle as it slowly rounds the corner and makes its way down the street.
Alan Drazen started his ice cream career when he was in college. He drove an ice cream truck — just like the one that rolled through our childhood neighborhoods — for Good Humor in Philadelphia. From there, he transitioned into a management role with Good Humor (now Unilever) and eventually moved over to Jack & Jill Ice Cream, where he has been for the last 41 years.
And in those four decades of sweets, treats, and growth, Drazen also coined one very tasty idea: the Choco Taco.
That’s right: back in the late ’80s, Drazen conceptualized the Choco Taco, the first — and only — dessert taco.
“At the time, Mexican food was the fastest growing segment of the food industry,” Drazen said. “The taco was the most recognizable shape, and it just seemed like a natural.”
He got the idea, brought it to the company’s owners, and they gave him the freedom to run with it. (Back then, who would have guessed that Jack & Jill would be on track to selling the billionth Choco Taco in the year 2017?)
In case you’ve never had one, the shape of the Choco Taco is what makes it unique. With a traditional sugar cone, you eat the chocolate and nuts, then the ice cream, then the cone. With a Choco Taco, you get all of that in just about every bite.
In the early days, Choco Tacos were made “basically” by hand. Today, Unilever makes 45 to 50 million per year.
Credit: Alan Drazen
Credit: Alan Drazen
“It’s had incredible longevity,” Drazen said. “So many ice cream novelties come and go, and there’s very few iconic ice cream novelties today that have really had sustainability through generations of time.”
Drazen said nobody ever thought the Choco Taco was going to be a big deal; its popularity surprised everyone.
“If you believe in your idea, stay with it and work it,” he said.
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