Java Factory Puts Klondike, Popsicle Coffees to a Flavor52 Fan Vote

Java Factory wants shoppers to decide which ice cream truck flavors stay in its coffee lineup.

It added Klondike, Popsicle, Good Humor, Creamsicle, and Breyers-inspired flavors to its Flavor52 program.

This brings familiar frozen treats into specialty-grade Arabica coffee.

"We're taking flavors and brands people already have an emotional connection to and putting them somewhere they never expected to find them: their coffee cup," Java Factory EVP Sam Blaney said in a press release.

The collaboration gives The Magnum Ice Cream Company another route for its brands following its 2025 demerger from Unilever.

Java Factory gets the other half of the trade, since familiar brands can make an unfamiliar coffee flavor easier to understand before the first sip.

Ice Cream Truck Releases a New Flavor Every Week

Klondike arrived September 14 as week four of Java Factory's nine-week Ice Cream Truck season, which opened August 24 with Creamsicle.

A new flavor drops every Monday through the October 19 mystery release.

The flavors sit within Flavor52, which releases 52 coffees across 52 consecutive weeks.

"While some companies may introduce pumpkin spice once a year, we're delivering a new discovery every seven days.

"Flavored coffee shouldn't have a season. It should have a calendar," Blaney said.

The current release schedule includes:

• September 14: Klondike
• September 21: Raspberry Italian Ice
• September 28: Popsicle Firecracker
• October 5: Good Humor Chocolate Éclair
• October 12: Good Humor Toasted Almond
• October 19: Mystery Halloween Flavor

The program divides these releases across six themed seasons: Throwback Collection, Ice Cream Truck, Sweater Weather, Wild Ones, Just Desserts, and The Finale.

Consumers can rate each flavor through Java Factory’s leaderboard.

The four highest-rated flavors from each season earn permanent menu spots, and lower-rated flavors leave the lineup.

The brand is using Flavor52 to bring the limited-edition culture of snacks, candy, and ice cream into coffee.

Java Factory President Steven Schrieber said the company sees snacks and candy as categories where consumers constantly have something new to discover.

"Flavor52 is our belief that flavored coffee can be just as creative, collectible and exciting," he said.

The product development behind these releases comes from the brand's collaboration with Flavor & Fragrance Specialties.

FFS specialists work with the company to develop, test, and refine flavors spanning nostalgic desserts, frozen treats, and licensed collaborations.

This approach gives Flavor52 two distinct layers of creativity.

The licensed properties provide brand recognition, while FFS helps translate the sensory experience into a coffee format.

The partnership deal creates a recurring reason to bring consumers back each week, making the product calendar part of the marketing.

73% of Gen Z Prefer Flavored Coffee

Flavor is part of how consumers define specialty coffee.

In the NCA's 2026 specialty report, 35% of past-day specialty coffee drinkers said flavor helps define "specialty."

Chocolate, caramel, brown sugar, and vanilla ranked highest. Younger drinkers push further.

Kerry surveyed 2,013 U.S. consumers in 2024 and found that 73% of Gen Z prefer flavored coffee "a great deal/a lot."

Java Factory's licensing deal drops Klondike and Good Humor onto flavor profiles that coffee drinkers already prefer.

Consumer taste data gives Java Factory’s strategy a useful foundation.

• Familiar flavors can lower the barrier to coffee experimentation. Brands should pair new formats with recognizable taste cues to make trial easier.
• Flavor variety can create repeat customers. Marketers should create recurring releases to encourage discovery and trial.
• Younger consumers show stronger interest in flavored coffee. Teams should test sweeter, nostalgic, and recognizable profiles to reach consumers seeking more variety.

The opportunity for Java Factory is to make flavor discovery part of the coffee routine, with nostalgia helping consumers decide what to try next.

Our Take: Can a Fan Vote Really Pick Winners?

Java Factory is selling coffee, but Flavor52 also sells the feeling that shoppers have a hand in deciding what comes next.

We think that the fan vote narrows the field while Java Factory keeps the final say on its own menu.

It proved it this month with the Company Save, a new override that rescued a flavor the leaderboard had already cut.

Monkey Bread missed the cutoff, yet sales and customer feedback gave Java Factory enough evidence to keep it.

We can expect more brands to test this model as product launches become ongoing programs.

The format holds up only as long as Java Factory shows its work on how ratings, sales, and repeat orders decide which flavors stay.

De’Longhi is also giving coffee drinkers more ways to personalize the cup, with its Magnifica Duo, launched with Brad Pitt, supporting 20 hot and iced recipes.

Brands looking to create similar licensed products can explore these top branding agencies as partners with relevant consumer experience.