Viennetta

Viennetta

Close-up of the Viennetta.

Viennetta is an ice cream product made by Unilever and sold under the various Heartbrand logos around the world. Viennetta comes in many flavours, including chocolate, mint, pistachio, and pineapple.

History

Viennetta was launched first by Wall's^[1] in 1982, using a technique devised by Kevin Hillman, development manager at Wall's Gloucester factory.

The original Viennetta was a multi-layered product comprising layers of vanilla ice cream with sprayed-on layers of compound chocolate. The layers of ice cream were extruded, one after another, onto trays sitting on a moving belt. The rate of extrusion was greater than the speed of the belt which caused a deliberate "bunching" of the ice cream; each layer was extruded at a different speed from the previous layer. The final effect was akin to a series of waves rippling through the product.

Allegedly, this effect was originally unintended by Kevin's team. However, it was swiftly recognised as a winner, and the product was launched with the "bunching".

Availability

Launched originally as a multi-portion dessert product, it has been so successful after being launched throughout KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants that Unilever, owners of Wall's, has produced many flavour and size variants. Viennetta is sparsely available in the United States, and Unilever no longer produces the brand in Canada. It is sold in Australia and New Zealand under the Streets brand.^[2]

The Viennetta was previously known as Comtessa in Spain, due to a legal problem. It became Viennetta in the 1990s.^[3]

References

1. "Viennetta". Walls.co.uk.
2. "Viennetta". Streets.com.
3. "Unilever's brand unifying strategy". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved February 2008.

See also