A Häagen-Dazs founder once gave an insight into how they landed on the premier brand’s name, as well as the major inspiration behind it - and the answer may shock you.
When you think of Häagen-Dazs, we wouldn’t be too surprised if you thought it was of Danish origin, or that the founders discovered the moniker in the Swedish or German vernacular.
But it turns out that’s not actually the case at all, according to the ice-cream founders, husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Reuben and Rose Mattus.
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In 1959, the United States-based couple decided their cold-confection company would only be able to succeed if they could come up with a ‘foreign’ name.
“If you’re the same like everybody else, you’re lost,” Reuben confessed to the online magazine Tablet, as per Reader’s Digest.
And I mean, he did have a point.
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For example, Nike and Pepsi both derive from Ancient Greek words, while Coolhaus is a play on Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas’s name.
Dasani is similar to the word for ‘water’ in Swahili, Caffè Nero sounds like an Italian coffeehouse, but it’s actually based in Britain, likewise with Pret a Manger, which translates as ‘ready to eat’ in France.
The Mattus couple, who were Jewish-Polish immigrants, were living in the Bronx at the time they were coining their ice-cream brand name.
It was there that they decided they wanted their brand to sound Danish, claiming it was because it was the ‘only country which saved the Jews during World War II’.
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So, after some deliberation - including speaking ‘gibberish’ around the kitchen table - they landed on Häagen-Dazs - a Danish-inspired name specifically coined to be perceived as a ‘rich’ brand by others.
“Häagen-Dazs doesn't mean anything. [But] it would attract attention, especially with the umlaut,” he confessed.
Yes, you read that right, the famous ice-cream brand isn’t a word in any language; it’s totally made up.
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To further cement the idea that their icy sweet treat was from Denmark, the early labels were said to include a map of the Scandinavian country.
In another interview with People Magazine in 1981, Reuben added that he really wanted Americans to ‘take a second look at the label and wonder if it was actually imported.’
Despite its title meaning literally nothing, the businessman, who died in 1994, decided to make up a meaning behind it anyway.
According to The Sun, the fabled translation of Häagen-Dazs is ‘the best’ - and some would definitely agree.
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Despite launching in the New York market in 1960, some people are only just finding out that Häagen-Dazs means which is, well, nothing.
One typed: “Didn’t know that. Going to the store to buy @HaagenDazs_US now!”
“If they wanted a Danish name, they would have given it a Danish name, not some gobbledygook,” argued someone else.
A third remarked: “Dont underestimate the power of a name thats fun to say.”
“White chocolate raspberry truffle is my current favourite. I will think about Reuben and Rose now every time I buy Haagen-Dazs and about Denmark's rescue of the Jews,” another commented.
So, we’ve only got one more question to ask: Pralines and Cream or Double Belgian Chocolate?
Ella Scott