Dive Brief:
- Todd Mills, who successfully lobbied Taco Bell to create a Doritos-based taco shell, has died at the age of 41.
- Mills reportedly got his famous idea while eating a Taco Bell meal while watching a Doritos commercial.
- Mills pitched his idea to Frito Lay, maker of Doritos, but was rejected. So he took his campaign to Facebook, where thousands of junk-food fans joined his quest.
- Eventually, Taco Bell and Frito Lay started talks. Three years after the initial rejection, Mills was invited to the Taco Bell test kitchen to become one of the first people to taste what would become Doritos Locos Tacos.
Dive Insight:
RIP, Mr. Mills. Your idea has led to the sale of some 600 million Doritos Locos Tacos. More importantly, your persistence was inspirational to anyone who ever had a dream that other folks thought was a little bit nuts. So on behalf of all the little folks with big dreams—thanks.