The Haagen-Dazs(R) Brand Celebrates 50 Years of All-Natural Flavor

OAKLAND, Calif., May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Haagen-Dazs® brand ice cream turns 50 this year, and a week-long birthday party, with lots of ice cream, will kick off on Thursday, May 13th. Created by long-time New Yorker Reuben Mattus in 1960, the iconic Haagen-Dazs super premium ice cream brand continues to enjoy a vibrant presence among New Yorkers, serving up more scoops in New York than in any other city in the U.S.

To thank its loyal hometown supporters for their continued support over the past half century, the brand will offer free Haagen-Dazs ice cream from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 13th, in front of the Gristedes supermarket at 350 East 86th St. in Manhattan.   Inside the store that same day, the price of Haagen-Dazs ice cream will be rolled back to the original price of $ .99 per carton. The Hon. Robert M. Morgenthau, Chairman of the Police Athletic League, and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, will also be on hand to accept a $10,000 donation to the Police Athletic League from the Haagen-Dazs brand as a thank you to the community.

The ice cream party continues on Friday, May 14th, at the first Haagen-Dazs Shop in New York, at 120 Montague St. in Brooklyn, with free ice cream scoops all day from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.  Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz will host a ribbon-cutting celebration and Buddy Valastro of TLC's Cake Boss will present a one-of-a-kind 400 pound birthday cake.  And, that Friday afternoon, the brand will take the celebration to those who protect and serve the community by delivering Haagen-Dazs ice cream to 10 local fire and police stations in Brooklyn and the Bronx. 

"Haagen-Dazs ice cream wouldn't be celebrating 50 years of flavor without the support of our loyalists," said Gulbin Hoeberechts, Haagen-Dazs brand director.  "We're extremely grateful to give back to the New York community that supported us from the beginning, helping us to become the iconic ice cream brand we are today."

"Gristedes has been committed to the Haagen-Dazs brand for many years," said John A. Catsimatidis, chairman of Gristedes, Manhattan's largest supermarket chain. "Their ice cream is one of the greatest all-natural products on earth."

The week-long series of events will culminate with a donation of more than 10,000 scoops to two Brooklyn food banks, St. John's and Food Bank for New York City, on Thursday, May 20.

Residents outside the New York area will also be able to join the celebration at this year's national Haagen-Dazs Free Flavor Day on Tuesday, May 18.  From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in any participating Haagen-Dazs Shop across the country, ice cream lovers can wish the brand a "Happy Birthday" and enjoy a free scoop of one of three original all-natural ice cream flavors: Haagen-Dazs Chocolate, Coffee or Vanilla.

Haagen-Dazs ice cream reflects decades of passion and creativity that began in the early 1920s when Reuben Mattus, a young entrepreneur with a passion for quality and a vision for creating the finest ice cream, sold fruit ice and ice cream pops from a horse-drawn wagon on the bustling streets of New York. Eventually, he developed the Haagen-Dazs super premium ice cream line, and the brand was officially launched in 1960 with three classic Haagen-Dazs flavors that are still favorites today – Vanilla, Chocolate and Coffee. At first, it was only available in packages at gourmet shops in New York City. In 1972, the brand expanded its retail trade in the city to Sloan's supermarkets (later bought by Gristedes) and soon was distributing to stores throughout the East Coast.  By 1973, Haagen-Dazs products were being enjoyed by discerning customers across the United States.  In 1976, Mr. Mattus' daughter Doris opened the first Haagen-Dazs Shop – appropriately located in the brand's New York birthplace – as a thank you for all the early support the brand had received from their hometown community.

For more information about the Haagen-Dazs brand please visit www.haagen-dazs.com.

About Haagen-Dazs

Crafted in 1960 by Reuben Mattus in his family's dairy, Haagen-Dazs is the original super premium ice cream.  True to tradition, Haagen-Dazs is committed to using only all-natural ingredients in crafting the world's finest ice cream.  Truly made like no other, today Haagen-Dazs ice cream offers a full range of products from ice cream to sorbet, frozen yogurt and frozen snacks in more than 65 flavors.  Haagen-Dazs products are available around the globe for ice cream lovers to enjoy.  For more information, please visit www.Haagen-Dazs.com.

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SOURCE The Haagen-Dazs brand