Häagen-Dazs Shops and Vicky Bakery are debuting a limited-time dessert collaboration in South Florida today: the Pastelito Dazzler, available exclusively at six Häagen-Dazs Shop locations from March 25 through March 31, 2026, while supplies last.
According to Häagen-Dazs’s announcement, the Pastelito Dazzler layers Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream with warm guava drizzle, buttery crushed puff pastry from Vicky Bakery’s pastelitos, whipped cream, and a final guava glaze. The six participating locations span Miami, North Miami, Kendall, Miami Lakes, Pembroke Pines, and Coral Gables.
The collaboration was developed with Vicky Bakery Executive Chef Betsy Rivera.
What Is a Pastelito, and Why It Matters Here
A pastelito is a Cuban puff pastry traditionally filled with guava and cream cheese, and it holds deep cultural significance in South Florida’s Cuban-American community. Vicky Bakery has made it their signature product since founder Antonio and Gelasia Cao opened their first Miami location in 1972, bringing a family recipe from Cuba.
The Pastelito Dazzler is not a reinvention of the pastelito — it is a controlled deconstruction of it. The puff pastry is crushed and layered into an ice cream dessert, preserving the guava flavor and buttery texture while adapting the format for a frozen dessert occasion. For R&D teams and co-manufacturers working in dessert applications, this kind of cross-category ingredient adaptation — taking a bakery component and reformatting it as a frozen dessert topping or mix-in — is a practical example of how regional specialty ingredients can enter new channels without losing their cultural identity.
Two Brands on Their Home Turf
Adam Hanson, President of Häagen-Dazs Shops, framed the partnership around community authenticity.
“At Häagen-Dazs Shops, we’re always looking for ways to delight our guests and celebrate the vibrant communities we call home. Partnering with Vicky Bakery was a natural fit to honor the unique flavors that make South Florida so special,” Hanson stated in the company’s announcement.
Ben Linero, Chief Marketing Officer of Vicky Bakery, connected the collaboration directly to cultural heritage.
“Pastelitos are more than just a pastry — they’re a symbol of our Cuban heritage and the flavors that bring our community together. Partnering with Häagen-Dazs to create the Pastelito Dazzler allowed us to reimagine that tradition in a fun, indulgent way. By combining our signature guava pastelito flavors with Häagen-Dazs’ ice cream, we’ve created a dessert that celebrates the taste of South Florida in every bite,” Linero stated.
The dual framing is significant. Both brands are claiming South Florida cultural ownership — Häagen-Dazs through its shop community presence, Vicky Bakery through its 50-plus-year Cuban heritage. The collaboration positions neither brand as the outsider, which is the correct alignment for this type of hyper-local launch.
Hyper-Local Partnerships Are a Growing CPG Innovation Model
The Pastelito Dazzler is a one-week, six-location activation, which makes it look small on paper. But the strategic model it represents is significant and growing.
Community-specific ingredient partnerships generate outsized earned media. A collaboration between a global premium ice cream brand and a 30-location Cuban bakery in Miami will generate more culturally resonant coverage per dollar than a national LTO campaign. For importers and ingredient suppliers with roots in specific cultural food traditions — guava processors, puff pastry manufacturers, specialty fruit puree suppliers — these hyper-local brand partnerships create entry points into premium foodservice channels that national volume alone cannot open.
Guava is expanding beyond its traditional footprint. Guava has been a staple flavor in Latin American and Caribbean cuisine for generations, but its presence in mainstream U.S. premium dessert and beverage formats has accelerated notably. This Häagen-Dazs activation — even at six locations — signals the ingredient’s growing credibility in premium frozen dessert applications. For bulk guava puree importers and co-manufacturers developing tropical fruit flavor systems, continued demand from premium dessert brands is a reliable trend to track.
Regional bakeries as co-manufacturing partners offer authentic ingredient sourcing. Vicky Bakery’s puff pastry is the key ingredient differentiator in this dessert. The pastelito crust is not a generic puff pastry — it is a specific, culturally distinct Cuban recipe. For private label frozen dessert developers and co-manufacturers seeking authentic regional ingredient sourcing, partnerships with established local bakeries offer both supply chain viability and the cultural credibility that ingredient imitation cannot replicate.
According to the announcement, Vicky Bakery now operates over 30 locations across Florida and is actively pursuing franchise expansion across the state and beyond.
FAQs
- What is the Pastelito Dazzler? It is a limited-time ice cream dessert featuring Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream layered with guava drizzle, buttery crushed puff pastry from Vicky Bakery pastelitos, whipped cream, and guava glaze, created in collaboration with Vicky Bakery Executive Chef Betsy Rivera.
- Where is the Pastelito Dazzler available? At six Häagen-Dazs Shop locations in South Florida: River Landing (Miami), Causeway Square (North Miami), Town and Country Mall (Kendall), Wingate Shopping Center (Miami Lakes), Shops at Pembroke Gardens (Pembroke Pines), and Miracle Mile (Coral Gables).
- When is it available? From March 25 through March 31, 2026, while supplies last.
- Who is Vicky Bakery? A family-owned Cuban bakery founded in Miami in 1972 by Antonio and Gelasia Cao, now with over 30 Florida locations, known for authentic Cuban pastries including their signature guava pastelitos.
About Source86
The Häagen-Dazs and Vicky Bakery Pastelito Dazzler collaboration highlights the growing demand for authentic regional ingredients — from guava purees and specialty fruit drizzles to culturally-rooted puff pastry components — that power premium dessert innovation in both retail-ready and foodservice formats. At Source86, we connect food brands, co-manufacturers, and private label operators with trusted bulk and wholesale suppliers of tropical fruit ingredients, specialty bakery components, and dairy inclusions that bring regionally-inspired desserts to life at scale.
Whether your R&D team is developing a new guava-forward frozen dessert, sourcing bulk tropical fruit purees for co-packing, or building a private label premium ice cream line inspired by Latin flavor traditions, Source86 is your bridge to the right manufacturing and supply chain partners. Contact Source86 today to start your sourcing search.
