Van Leeuwen Ice Cream typically draws customers with gourmet takes on classic ice creams like vanilla and pistachio. But every once in a while, the New York-based parlor chain and manufacturer sneaks in a so-called “shock flavor,” like Hidden Valley Ranch or Pizza.
A few years ago, Kraft Heinz approached Van Leeuwen, a New York-based artisanal ice cream maker, about making macaroni-and-cheese-flavored ice cream. Ben Van Leeuwen, the company’s co-founder and CEO, was skeptical at first, but later confirmed that Kraft’s powder met Van Leeuwen’s standards and contained no palm oil or artificial ingredients. It was found that the ice cream blended well with the company’s ice cream. Van Leeuwen’s Craft His Macaroni and Cheese Ice Cream was released in 2021 to positive reviews and was briefly re-released last fall.
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A woman’s Van Leeuwen’s new Kraft Mac & Cheese flavored ice cream melts at a pop-up truck near Union Square in New York City on July 14, 2021. This new flavor was launched in honor of National Macaroni & Cheese Day. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
“We’re only going to make a shock flavor if we can make it delicious and unique. We’re not going to make a shock flavor where shock is just a name and it tastes like vanilla.” Van Leeuwen said.
Mark Lang, a food marketing expert and associate professor of marketing at the University of Tampa, believes that humans are naturally drawn to new flavors. “We are diversity-seeking animals. We are always looking for something new, something different. It’s in our wiring,” Lang said.
