Years ago a reporter asked me to name some supermarket foods I wouldn’t be embarrassed to serve to
company.
Frozen Dairy Dessert
Breyers Viennetta was one of my answers. Each flavor contained attractively layered folds of ice cream and crisp dark chocolate. It was elegant, convenient and tasty.
This week, a publicist approached me with the exciting news that Unilever is bringing Viennetta back for the holidays. She wrote,
“With a suggested retail price under $3.00, this frozen dessert cake of soft, rippling vanilla or chocolatey waves and crackling chocolatey layers allows hostesses to present a casually elegant dessert that won’t break the bank.”
Wow, I thought, this Viennetta is less expensive than the previous version. Not!
The original 15-ounce version was made with yummy Breyers Ice Cream; this 12-ounce one is a frozen dairy dessert, available until February 2009. That means instead of ice cream, this Viennetta consists of — nonfat milk, sugars, whey, cocoa, propylene glycol monoesters, cellulose gels, mono and diglycerides, locust bean gum, polysorbate 80, guar gum, natural flavor and carrageenan.
I would never think of serving this chemical version of Viennetta. But — in hopes that the folks from Unilever are reading this — I’ll ask, how about bringing the Breyers ice cream version back?
Can VIENNETA be found in Massachusetts?Please bring it back!!!!!!It was soooo good!
i live in austin texas and the only good thing i remember from being a kid was that one night a week that i sat down at the family dinner table and did not hate to be there i need it have to have it can i buy it on line or ebay
My family and I loved Vienetta years ago…any chance of it coming back to Brooklyn, NY?
It’s 101 degrees here today, and like these other folks I had a flashback to Breyer’s Vienetta. A really cool dessert for hot days. Have been looking for it back for …what…over 10 years? I WANT IT BACK! PLEEZE!!! I served it to rave reviews with chocolate sauce, cool whip and strawberry on top…
Breyers???? Pretty PLEEZE?
Please bring my favorite dessert back! Is it available anywhere near Alabama? We are all willing to pay more! We understand the economy is bad…make some $ from all of us that say we will purchase your product! (If you make money off a product why discontinue it…just like taco bells club chalupas! WHY!?)
I would love to be able to find this product in Iowa or if their was a way even for me to order it from the company I miss it that much have been searching for it for years. This was always my favorite ice cream treat when I was younger.
Well…after reading this I now know why I haven’t been able to find it! Several months ago I remembered Vienetta..I had only ever had it once but remembered how delicious it was and have been looking for it since.
I just wanted to put in yet another person’s request to BRING IT BACK! PLEASE!
Here’s a question though….why would you pick WINTER to bring back an ice cream item for a limited time?!?!? There’s a reason Good Humor trucks are in storage in December!
I NEED to get my hands on a Vienetta for my dad’s bday present!! AHH! Can I get it shipped from somewhere?!? I live in Northern California!
[…] 2008, perhaps after receiving enough messages from ridiculous people like me, Unilever brought Viennetta back to the United States, but it wasn’t the same. Instead of Breyers ice cream, it was made with nonfat milk, […]
Hi all…I have been looking for this dessert for about 15yrs! I had it when I was in my early teens & it was great! It’s seems the U.S. are dominant on this page…but thought I would take a shot in the dark….anyone know if it’s possible to get it in Canada? Maybe Shelley could help me answer this? I live in Ontario Canada (GTA – Toronto)
Any information would be great 🙂 Thank-you
(hope you all find some close to yr cities)
HB Hazelbrook farm Banana ice cream is made by flavouring of 100 bananas which cows eat making there milk 100% yellow, Hb hazelbrook farm banana ice cream is the only Ice cream in the world thats 100% yellow and no more or less.
Why don’t we create a facebook page in honor of Viennetta and maybe Breyer’s will actually bring it back if we get enough support! Mcdonald’s did it for the McRib and a local Italian Ice came back to business here in Saratoga Springs, NY because of the high demand for it! Let’s do it! We want the original Breyer’s Viennetta back!
This year my family asked my brother and I to make Christmas dinner. We devised a menu. My mother then asked what dessert, and I knew I wanted Viennetta, even though I couldn’t remember my name. It became very hilarious to my family and frustrating to me trying to explain this awesome dessert which for some reason they do not remember ever having. After a two hour long search of the Web, I found the answer. I though all was good until my Mom reported she couldn’t find this product, and insisted I was still making this up. I am extremely disappointed this product is no longer available. Until this product is returned to market, I am proposing a boycott of all Breyers products until Vienntta is brought back. Obviously asking nicely isn’t enough. Time to get serious.
Toronto NEEEEEDDSSS Vienetta!! Pls bring it back!!
Please bring Viennetta to Toronto! Why is there a ‘shortage’ if its evidently such a popular dessert. The people on this blog are likely a small fraction of fans specifically looking online for this, let alone the many more who would be delighted to see it restocked in stores. Unilever sells numerous products; how is one more popular product such an issue for decision makers to make.
Our only wish is that Breyers would bring back Vienetta!!
Im ashamed to say that ive beed writting breyers for years to see if i cant find it somewhere… lol
could you please tell me how i can get this ice cream (vienetta) this waws the best ice-cream ever
About a yr or 2 ago, Vienetta was brough back for a cpl mo’s I have to say that this turned out to be the best moment of my life, I was so excited I purchased at least 6 of the boxes and kept them frozen from the Hy-Vee in KS. Even my sister asked me to send a box to her in TX. Everyone I know loves this dessert, how can you not, it is delectible. Please bring it back again and this keep it around for awhile- permanently. Thanks!
Houston, we have a problem!! Please bring Vienetta back to Houston!
Well, I have waited for over one year to respond to my last entry regarding Vienetta. I hesitated in responding as my hope was that product changes would be made and the original Vienetta introduced in the late 80’s would reappear. The wait has proved to be less than expected. The current product (if you can find it) is no where near the flavor profile and or quality of what I introduced to the United States while I was employed by Unilever.I would enjoy talking to the Unilever team and propose that they allow a current ice cream company to license the brand and reintroduce this fantastic frozen dessert. Contact me to start a dialogue. As my friends at NIKE say, “Let’s Just Do It!”
Eric Egland
I thought I was the only one and my screaming voice demanding for Viennetta to be brought back to stores was simply not loud enough!!!! Then I found this forum. So I pledge to everyone my loyalty and offer my voice to be united with yours so we can scream loud enough for those bad-decision makers in Unilever Ice Cream company TO BRING BACK VIENNETTA to the stores ASAP!!!!! Why would a company not release a one-of-a-kind product that is in high demand? I think this decision maker should get fired immediately, on the spot, pronto, NOW!!!!!
I’d like to add my name (and my wife’s) to the list of people who want Viennetta w/Breyer’s back! Please ship the first batch to Sweetbay and Publix groceries in Florida. 🙂
My whole family, (and friends in numerous states), have not been able to find this special dessert in years! I live in Arizona and have family & friends in surrounding states. Are we ever going to see this masterpiece again, or do I have to travel? I would love to be able to order it, if possible, PLEASE BRING IT BACK TO US!!
Why has Vienetta been discontinued???? I think there’s something Breyer is not telling us. They are hiding something because it doesn’t make marketing sense that a company would not release a product to market, when there is a monumental demand of it…………….something to think about!!!!
Thanks for all your feedback. We are thrilled to know that there is such enthusiasm for Viennetta! Unfortunately, there are no current plans to bring Viennetta back. If we learn of its return, we will post an update. – Stephanie Bottoms, on behalf of Unilever Ice Cream
Stephanie Bottoms, who makes the decisions at Unilever Ice Cream? Is there a market strategy behind this whole issue of keeping Vienetta from being sold in the USA? If there is, I feel this person should get fired because it is keeping your company from increasing its profits my keeping a high-demand-product from the market. Your company needs someone that has some common sense and put it to practice!!!
Carlos Melara
Does Stephanie Bottoms give any reason why there are NO plans to bring back Viennetta ?…it makes no sense to the hundreds of us…maybe if there is a reasonable explanation, we might understand…it’s just so rediculous, on their part, not to explain their decision…PLEASE offer something in the way of a reason that we can all accept !! I remain always hopeful, Nancy James Houston, TX
Don’t shoot the messenger!
As Unilever’s public relations professional, Stephanie just reported what the company told her: there are no plans to bring back Viennetta.
I agree with Nancy. And this message is for Bonnie from biteofthebest.com. Bonnie, we understand that Stephanie is just a public relations representative for Unilever. But why is it so difficult to answer a simple question: Why aren’t they bringing back Vienetta? Do they owe us an explanation? YES THEY DO. Why? Because not doing so leads us to believe that they are hiding something. As consumers we demand an explanation and we will go as high as we can to get it. I am not stopping here…….
We are sorry to inform you that Breyers® is no longer producing Viennetta. Many factors contribute to a decision to discontinue a product, but they all boil down to the fact that we didn’t sell enough of the product to keep producing it. We know that you did your part to keep the product in production. Please understand that we regret disappointing any of our consumers. – Stephanie Bottoms, on behalf of Unilever Ice Cream
Stephanie, Thank you for your response. We greatly appreciate your comments. Has your company thought of maybe making a Vienetta version in individual sizes? Maybe have a box with qty 4 individually wrapped pieces? May be that is an option to consider in a way that consumers can afford to buy a box of 4 individual packages, rather than the whole piece of Vienetta. Since you mentioned the fact that Vienetta did not sell enough to keep producing it, I thought that we might help with ideas to make it more affordable for more people to buy it. So I am challenging this forum to come up with ideas to help Breyers bring back our beloved “Vienetta” to the shelves!!!!! Eternally loyal: Carlos Melara
Eric Egland (Executive Director, Oregon Ice Cream LLC) wrote this to me in an email that he thought was reaching all of you:
Bite of the Best Members
Well, you get to hear from the person who introduced Viennetta into the United States in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Unilever did offer a single serving size for Food Service in addition to the retail products I sold on the West Coast. While I’ve been away from Unilever for over ten years now I’m confident that in today’s world producing an item in a very small segment may not fit either production and spending profit models. Viennetta was introduced into the United States to increase market share for Good Humor-Breyers Ice Cream products along with testing what was the number one selling dessert in Europe where Unilever dominates the overall category. The manufacturing of Viennetta also requires a very unique and expensive process which again in today’s world may not be profitable. Another piece to consider is that the current Viennetta in no way mirrors the product quality of the products introduced earlier. To my friends at Unilever, bringing back Viennetta would bring joy to many but alas, we may all have to travel to Europe to enjoy this fantastic dessert.
I remember having this ice cream when I moved here from Poland. Next to kinder eggs this was one of my favorite childhood memories. I think a kinder egg type vienna I’ve cream would be amazing! Layers of milk or dark chocolates and white chocolate layers. Yum! We should start a face book page to try to bring this ice cream back to the Usa….let’s force Bryers to use original ingredients and bring this delight back to us!
I think we have a very important breakthrough here. CNN just had a piece about Kate Middleton, Prince William’s bride-to-be. They had a video of her hometown grocery store, owned by a lovely Indian couple who have been invited to the wedding. They are so excited. They were asked what Kate Middlton’s favorite food was….guess what it was????? :)))))) You got it Vienetta Ice Cream! The owners keep it stocked there for her all the time. This will make for great advertising! If Unilever picks up on this they could even show films of the Royal Wedding in their commercials…or snippets of Kate’s hometown store. Whatever this is huge! I can’t think this morning. The clip of this film may be repeated today on CNN. Today is April 10th 2011….watch for it!
PLEASE BRING THE ORIGINAL VIENETTA BACK! Thank you
Celeste :))
By the way on another blog (there are hundreds of blogs about missing Vienetta) I saw a woman write about how much she used to loved the cappuccino flavor. My sister would love that. I love the vanilla. I always served it when we had guests. It was the most elegant dessert. Everyone loved it. Please bring it back!
I will google CNN today to see if I can find the story :))
If that doesn’t get Unilever’s attention, nothing will. It IS still available in the EU, why not here?
Yes Yes, I have emailed this grounbreaking info to Unilever 🙂
Please everyone email them. Contact form link is here:
http://www.unilever.com/resource/Contactform/index.aspx
Do they read this blog? What is the this blog? It seems Unilever Public Relations responds here. Is that so? Or do bloggers copy emails to and from these reps here?
It seems Stephanie Bottoms is from Unilever and is unaware that it is still available in England? I just saw Vienetta Ice Cream in a freezer case in a supermarket in the UK on CNN. Weird! Breyer’s is owned by Unilever now…soooo I am wondering what Stepahanie is talking about. Her comment above #80. Stephanie, please respond. Thank you 🙂
Celeste, to clarify for you: Stephanie Bottoms is with Golin Harris, a public relations firm that represents Breyers the company that made Viennetta. She responded on behalf of her client. When the work week starts, I’m sure she’ll respond again!
And here is some article in support of Celeste’s comments. I have great hopes this will open Unilever’s eyes to a profitable near future:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8350369/Kate-and-William-invite-Bucklebury-butcher-postman-and-pub-landlord-to-royal-wedding.html
Carlos, thank you for the link!!! Mint Vienetta is Prince William’s favorite ice cream.
“Ice Cream meant for a Prince!” 🙂
Come on Umilever run with this. You can make a mint!!!! It’s in print!
From the article:
“Chan Shingadia and her husband Hash, who run the local convenience store, have already accepted their invitation.
The Indian-born couple said Miss Middleton “pops in two or three times a week” when she is in Bucklebury, sometimes accompanied by the Prince.
Mrs Shingadia, 42, said: “We’ve really got to know Kate. She is really caring. She is like a human being, not a celebrity, and she is always a good customer. William is very down to earth”.
The shopkeepers have become so familiar with the couple’s tastes that they ensure they are always stocked up on Haribo sweets, which they both like,>>>>>>> and mint Vienetta, which is the Prince’s favourite icecream.”
This is a great idea. My husband’s idea! We email Kate Middleton to get involved with this campaign.
I think she would take up this cause because it sounds from some of Stephanie Bottoms, and Bonnie’s posts (see posts #76, #81, and #83) like Unilever has stopped or is planning to stop production of Vienetta Ice Cream all together!! (too expensive to produce etc.) I don’t think the Prince or Princess will sit still for that Do you? nwards and upwards my fiends! 🙂
Correction lol
Onward and upwards my friends! 🙂
Please!!! Bring back Vienetta, my brother and I have many memories of our mother buying it for us. Summers, Weekends, late nights, holidays, birthdays and other events, and many more.
Once again we have been reminiscing about the BEST dessert…Vienetta…and wishing it would be produced again.
We keep trying to find a replacement for Vienetta…unsuccessfully! I hope that someone wises up, and produces this great product again!
Oh, I LOVED Viennetta. Fancy, elegant, and light in texture, it was a dessert I was proud to serve when entertaining on short notice, or asked to bring dessert to extended-family dinners, special occasions or private treat.
For incentive to your bringing it back, I just saw on MSNBC pre-wedding coverage that Viennetta is Catherine Middleton’s favorite dessert, according to the grocer in Holymead; and I just read that it is what Prince William buys there as well. On TV the grocer pushed the product toward the camera for a close-up, so there you have your best endorsement and free advertising! Can it get better than that?!
I don’t know why you discontinued Viennetta, but please bring it back. I promise to buy it more often than I ever did before!
~ Sue
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bring Viennetta back. It would be the smartest business move to ever make. Look at all these people all over the world trying to get their hands on this product, are you guys crazy? Keep the American people happy! My childhood was brought up on Viennetta! I will seriously start a petition to have Viennetta made and sold in the U.S., whose down to sign this!?
sincerely,
Viennetta Lover and Fan
Why does the production of Viennetta have to be tied to a low retail price? I cannot think of a common product that is not sold somewhere in the U.S. in a high end version.Raise the price. Someone will always pay a premium for the best.
Donald,
You go! You should work for Unilever. You have more sense they do!
My dad mentioned Viennetta tonight in our conversation. Started salivating just thinking about it. I remember buying it every year, multiple times. It was simply the best desert ever. The SMARTEST thing you could do is to sell it again, in Walmarts (since theres so many walmarts) with the original recipe. Yall will be drowning in money. Even after all these years, everyone is dying to get their hands on some!! I’m going to go hunt for some tomorrow!!!
CAN I GET THIS ANYWHERE IN OREGON??