(PCM) If you have ever paid a visit to the popular Vermont ice cream company, Ben & Jerry’s, website then you may have noticed that they feature a “Flavor Graveyard” on the site that pays homage to the companies many retired and failed flavors from over the years. However, did you know that there is actually a real-life flavor graveyard located at the Ben & Jerry’s factory located in Waterbury, Vermont that you can walk through as well. It is delightfully bizarre!
The flavor graveyard is situated on a hill that overlooks the factory and features granite headstones and witty epitaphs for each dearly departed flavor. According to Ben & Jerry’s website, 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 (mostly) beloved departed flavors .
You may wonder just what is buried underneath the headstones in the Flavor Graveyard. It seems that the folks at Ben & Jerry’s began have a mini funeral service for their departed flavors and a little wooden box containing a pint of the deceased ice cream flavor is placed in the ground. Some of the dearly departed flavors are described as :
1. Schweddy Balls (2011-2011) This ice cream with a name inspired by a famous Saturday Night Live sketch featured vanilla ice cream with a bit of rum, plus fudge-covered rum and malt balls.
2. Wavy Gravy (1991-2001) This caramel and cashew Brazil nut flavor stayed on shelves for eight years. The flavor also featured roasted almonds and a chocolate hazelnut fudge swirl. However, Ben & Jerry’s flavor graveyard claims, “Wavy Gravy isn’t dead – he lives in California.”
3. Oh Pear (1997-1997) This short-lived flavor featured an unusual combination flavors: pear ice cream with a tough of almond and a light fudge swirl throughout.
4. Dastardly Mash (1979-1991) This chocolate ice cream with pecans, almonds, chocolate chips, and raisins had a long run. Ben & Jerry’s flavor graveyeard attributes its downfall to raisins. “Here the brazen DASTARDLY lies,” it reads, “some say that raisin, caused its demise.”
5. Tuskeegee Chunk (1989-1990) This ice cream seems like it would have been popular — it was simply peanut butter ice cream with chocolate chunks throughout — yet it only stayed on shelves for a year.
