In The 1980s, A Breakthrough In Farm Animal Food Led To The Creation Of Dippin' Dots – Here's How

If you grew up in the 1990s, then you most likely remember Dippin' Dots. What might come as a surprise is that the "ice cream of the future" wasn't whipped up in an ice cream shop, but rather somewhere between a lab experiment and a happy accident. These nostalgic, tiny sweets were invented in the '80s by microbiologist Curtis Jones while tinkering around with flash freezing to improve cow feed. The lightbulb went on, and this scientist and ice cream lover decided to combine his two passions, creating bead-like bursts of frozen sweetness with a sci-fi flair.

This discovery quickly turned into a full-blown frozen phenomenon, popping up in malls, amusement parks, and baseball stadiums across the country. The creamy treat soared in popularity in the '90s and through the early '00s. With their pastel colors, futuristic texture, diverse flavors, and recognizable tagline, it's no wonder Dippin' Dots has grown into one of the country's biggest and most popular ice cream franchises.

Curtis Jones, the founder of Dippin' Dots, originally worked as a microbiologist for a biotech firm in Kentucky in 1987. He specialized in cryogenics and was experimenting with bacterial cultures to improve digestibility for cows. Using liquid nitrogen, Jones was able to flash-freeze the cattle feed to negative 320 degrees Fahrenheit, turning it into small pellets. He also grew up on a farm in Illinois, where he and his family loved to churn home-made cream.

According to the Atlantic, A few months into his job, Jones realized he could apply the same technique to ice cream to freeze it faster. A year later, he quit his job to start his ice cream business. He and his wife opened the first store, called The Yoglet Shop, in Lexington in 1988, which they ultimately had to close after just a short time. They went back to the drawing board that Christmas and came up with the new name and a new business plan. The two tried their luck selling at stadiums and amusement parks, as supermarkets couldn't carry it because it had to be stored at such cold temperatures.

By 1989, Jones had successfully launched Dippin' Dots at Opryland in Nashville, the first amusement park to ever carry it. Today, it has over 100 stores and is available in over 20,000 locations, including malls, zoos, and theme parks.