I just returned from my visit to Waterbury, Vermont to pay my respects to the graveyard of discontinued flavors of Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors.
Ben & Jerry’s is known for outrageous, chunky, funky flavors. But outrageous flavor experimentation comes with some risks, and flavors can meet their untimely death. Although tears of sadness are shed for customer's dearly de-pinted flavors, a happy resting place befitting their place in Ben & Jerry’s history can be visited in Waterbury, Vermont.
Climb up the hill for the flavor graveyard!!
The Flavor 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 Flavor Graveyard on a hill overlooking our factory, complete with granite headstones and witty epitaphs for each flavor.
The physical Flavor Graveyard was erected in 1997 and originally contained just 4 flavors, which only existed in the United States: Dastardly Mash, Economic Crunch, Ethan Almond and Tuskegee Chunk. Since then, the Graveyard has grown to include 35 flavors, including Wavy Gravy, Miz Jelena’s Sweet Potato Pie, Dublin Mudslide, Holy Cannoli and many more beloved flavors.
Oh, and what’s buried beneath the headstones? Just warm memories of the flavors missed most, and the cold reality of their unpopular demise. While there’s more than one way for a flavor to end up in the Graveyard, the sad truth is that while it may have been your favorite flavor, not everyone was a fan of these not-so-best-sellers, and they were retired to make room for a new flavor.
Ben & Jerry Bus
Ben & Jerry Gift Shop