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Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard in Waterbury, Vermont

Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard in Waterbury, Vermont

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Cemeteries aren’t just for our dearly departed. Some exist for animals, plants, forgotten items, and, perhaps most unexpectedly, ice cream flavors too. What began as an online joke in the mid-1990s that paid homage to discontinued Ben & Jerry’s gelato varieties, has since evolved into a quirky graveyard. Here, dozens of headstones solemnly mark the resting place of eccentric flavors that failed to find their commercial footing over the years.

By: Becca Osborne

Date: 11:15 23.09.24

Last Update: 11:16 23.09.24

Cemeteries Foodies Rural Vermont United States North America & The Caribbean

Found in almost every frozen food aisle around the world, Ben & Jerry’s has long charmed people worldwide with its playful flavor combinations and unconventional names. Established in 1978 by childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the company swiftly gained fame for its innovative creations like Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey.

Over the decades, the duo became more than just a purveyor of indulgent, chunky ice cream, they also built a reputation as a brand committed to social and environmental causes. Be that as it may, behind all the fan-favorite flavors that line supermarket freezers, there is a hidden corner of the company’s history - one that commemorates flavors that didn’t survive.

Nestled behind the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury, Vermont, is the Flavor Graveyard, a whimsical resting place for long-retired ice cream flavors. Originally created in 1997 as a solely virtual tribute to discontinued flavors, it soon became a physical space on the factory grounds. Today, visitors can stroll up a gentle hill, past a playground, to find rows of tombstone markers, each of which bears a witty epitaph eulogizing a flavor that didn’t stand the test of time.

While the flavors may be gone, they are far from forgotten, with the ice-cream necropolis being a lighthearted homage that reflects the risks involved in creativity across the food industry. The site is currently home to over 30 flavors, with headstones dedicated for varieties like Dastardly Mash, Fossil Fuel, and Miz Jelena’s Sweet Potato Pie.

Each marker features the flavor’s name, birth and death dates, and an amusing couplet that hints at why it met its end. Though some of them were beloved by a small group of ardent fans, they struggled to achieve mass appeal, which ultimately led to their premature departure. Visitors can reflect on these “de-pinted” offerings while enjoying a scoop of ice cream from the nearby shop.

Beyond the humor, the place also showcases the pair’s willingness to embrace trial and error, even if not every experiment succeeds. And while some flavors may remain in their final resting place, Ben & Jerry’s has been known to resurrect a few every now and then, offering fans the rare opportunity to indulge in their long-lost favorites once again.

In a way, the Flavor Graveyard encapsulates the spirit of Ben & Jerry’s - inventive, playful, and always conscious of the fact that, like all good things, some flavors must come to an end, leaving behind only sweet memories.