Drumstick Origins and Innovation

At the 1904 World’s Fair, a scarcity of ice cream bowls prompted an innovative ice cream maker to collaborate with a nearby waffle vendor. Subsequently, the vendor began fashioning waffles into cones, transforming them into a convenient handheld delight. The widely recognized ice cream drumstick we relish today has its roots in 1928 when the Parker Brothers—specifically Bruce, I.C., and J.T. from the Drumstick Company in Fort Worth, Texas—introduced a chocolate coating adorned with nuts to the cones.

Initially envisioning prepackaged ice cream cones, the Parkers encountered a challenge as the cones tended to become soggy during shipment. To address this concern, they sought assistance from Ohio State food scientists, who proposed the idea of coating the cones in chocolate. Inspired by its resemblance, Jewel (I.C. Parker's wife) likened the creation to a chicken leg, giving rise to the name "Drumstick."

Further refinements included placing the chocolate on the inside rather than the outside of the cone. In 1991, Nestlé, a multinational corporation, acquired Alco Drumstick, a U.S. ice cream manufacturer with extensive European operations, among other companies. In 2016, Nestlé and PAI Partners established Froneri, a collaborative venture merging their ice cream activities. Froneri currently owns the Drumstick brand, and the product is marketed under the Nestlé brand in the United States. Over the years, a multitude of variations of the original vanilla ice cream in a chocolate-lined waffle cone with a chocolate and nut topping have been introduced.
Drumstick Origins and Innovation