Häagen-Dazs
Poland → USA
Agriculture, Food & Consumer Goods
Summary
Häagen-Dazs was founded in 1961 in the Bronx by Reuben Mattus, born in 1912 in Łódź, in what was then Russian Poland. Mattus’s mother emigrated with her children to New York in 1921, and Reuben grew up selling Italian ice from a horse-drawn cart. With his wife Rose, he created a premium ice-cream brand named with an invented “Danish-sounding” word — Häagen-Dazs is not a Danish phrase but a deliberate piece of marketing, designed to evoke European old-world quality. Pillsbury bought the company in 1983, and the brand is now operated by General Mills and Nestlé.
European Contribution
Eastern European Jewish dairy traditions and family-run food entrepreneurship.
American Impact
Created the premium ice-cream category in the United States and exported the concept worldwide.
Timeline Highlights
- 1921 Mattus family emigrates to New York
- 1961 Häagen-Dazs founded in the Bronx
- 1976 First retail shop opens in Brooklyn
- 1983 Acquired by Pillsbury
- 2001 Pillsbury merged into General Mills; Nestlé operates U.S. license