In the hot summer, many people rely on ice cream to keep them going. Among the dizzying array of ice cream, there's always a place for ice cream cones. When you enjoy the ice cream cone, have you ever thought about the seemingly humble cone?
The ice cream cone is never the star of the show. Its role is clear: Keep the scoop upright, don't leak and don't upstage the main player, the ice cream. But being that supporting takes work, which is why David George believes that the cone deserves more respect.
George is the third-generation president of Joy Baking Group, the largest manufacturer of ice cream cones in North America. You may not know Joy by name, but you've probably tasted its cones. As the kingdom of ice cream has expanded, the cone world has only grown smaller. Joy has concerned the cone market by betting on a basic premise: When it comes to the cone, people don't want creativity. They want familiarity.
Joy's flagship factory in western Pennsylvania produced 15 to 20 million cones a day during its busiest season. They include squeaky cake cones; cookie-like sugar cones; and caramel-scented waffle cones. These are cones designed to taste like childhood summers. They're as comforting as a slice of pie, as delightful as cotton candy.
"The thing about ice cream is that for nearly everyone, it is so tied to nostalgia," said Susan Sorrento, the owner of Moreno's, an ice cream shop in the Washington area. "It is what you remember about your grandma taking you out." For many Americans, those moments are linked to Joy cones. Even if another worthy competitor arises, "It doesn't matter," she said, "because it is competing with a memory."
