The Italian Ice Cream company Spica developed the forerunner of the Cornetto in 1959. When Unilever visited Spica in 1962, they were so enthusiastic that they took over the Italian ice cream manufacturer almost immediately. The intention was to successfully develop the vanilla ice cream cone for mass production.
The course of action:
The Cornetto as we know it today only came onto the market in 1985; a pre-packaged ice cream cone made from vanilla ice cream in a waffle cone, covered with chocolate sauce and sprinkled with pieces of hazelnut, and…..
an unintentional glob of chocolate in the bottom of the ice cream cone.
Unilever devoted years to research and made considerable investments in order to change the production process to solve the issue of the chocolate glob.
The result:
Their research paid off!
The new cone with its crunchy waffle point not containing chocolate was proudly launched.
Consumers, however, were disappointed. The chocolate glob was, after all, the extra treat at the last bite.
The lesson:
The sales decreased and numerous complaints came in.
Unilever decided to bring back the chocolate glob, in spite of all their research and investment. This required considerable changes to be made to the machinery.
Further:
The Cornetto has been listed in the top 5 of the best selling ice creams in many countries, for many years.
Published by:
Gerard
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