Häagen-Dazs ice cream was established by Jewish-Polish immigrants Reuben and Rose Mattus in the Bronx, New York, in 1961. The company opened its first retail store in Brooklyn, NY, on November 15, 1976.
Contrary to popular belief, the company is not Scandinavian. The name Häagen-Dazs is simply two made-up words meant to look Scandinavian to North Americans. This practice is known in the marketing industry as foreign branding. Mattus thought that Denmark was known for its dairy products and had a positive image in the U.S. He included an outline map of Denmark on early labels, as well as the name of Copenhagen. (Wikipedia)