The future of summertime treats ain’t looking too sweet. The Choco Taco—nutty, chocolatey and full of ice cream and nostalgia—is being discontinued. Heartbroken, fans of the Choco Taco went to social media to mourn the loss of a familiar favorite.

It was an ice cream truck operator in Roslyn, New York, who first shared the news. In a Facebook post, Sno Kone Joe wrote, “This is a shocker! The Choco Taco has been around since 1984 and was one of our most popular products.”

Klondike, which is owned by Unilever and makes the Choco Taco, confirmed the discontinuation on its website and on Twitter in response to unhappy fans.

One aggrieved user tweeted, “There are bad decisions, like getting a face tattoo or French kissing an alligator, then there are horrifically bad inexcusable decisions like discontinuing the Choco Taco. #sayitaintso.”

Even Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut tweeted, jokingly, on Monday that he would introduce legislation the next day to “invoke the Defense Production Act to mandate the continued manufacture of Choco Tacos.”

 

While consumers try to get their hands on the now rare Choco Taco, even paying upwards of $500, restaurants and ice cream shops are feeding the cravings, crafting chocolatey taco-inspired treats.

There’s a Tacotini in Brooklyn, New York, made with tequila Cazadores, amaro, cold brew and heavy cream. It looks exactly like the Choco Taco with a boozy, cocktail vibe. In Boston, there’s now a vanilla bean pastry cream-filled Choco Taco Donut. It’s dipped in chocolate-peanut ganache and garnished with a waffle cone tuile—a thin, crispy cookie.

The classic treat is sparking new flavor creations that Joelle Stahlecker, marketing coordinator at supplier Maple Ridge Farms, says are very on trend.

“We’re seeing a trend toward ‘newstalgic’ food—classic favorites with a new twist, like s’mores recreated with stroopwafels, Oreos, fruits and sauces,” she says. “Consumers are looking for a sense of nostalgic pleasure with a modern edge that enhances the flavor experience.”

The taco, in essence, is the perfect blend of flavor combinations. In its demise, the Choco Taco is arousing fresh ideas and stirring up old memories—the main ingredients to good cooking. It may be going away, but people will always look for sweet treats to cool them down on hot days like we've had this summer, and that's where promotional products may come in.

As consumers look for a new frozen treat to enjoy, offer these ice cream-inspired products.

Set out the cake and ice cream with confidence and style with this ice cream pint sleeve. This is an ice cream lover's essential. Feature your client’s name or logo in a four-color process, full-bleed imprinting that is sure to get your client’s brand noticed. It's made using neoprene that will keep your favorite flavor frozen and firm for longer.

Best Promotions USA, LLC / PPAI 461689, S4 / www.bestpromotionsusa.com

Get the perfect scoop with this metal ice cream scoop. This stainless-steel scoop has a plastic handle with a hole on the end for easy storage. It’s concave with a round top—perfect for frozen treat.

Illini/Altco / PPAI 111235, S7 / www.illiniline.com

Add a sweetness to your client’s next promotional event. This colorful ice cream bowl comes with a matching plastic spoon, making it a useful and fun product to show off a client’s company name or logo. Each set one six-ounce bowl and one four-and-a-half inch spoons.

Brighter Promotions / PPAI 111657, S3 / www.brighterpromotions.com