New Ice Cream Flavor from Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder

Ben Cohen, one of the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s, has introduced a new ice cream flavor, making a bold statement: “All of America is now Minneapolis, and we all need to stand up and march in protest.”

“The flavor I’m making today is called ‘The Maxi Hearts of Minneapolis,'” Cohen shared in a video. “In light of all the fear and sadness, I find hope in the spirit of Minneapolis. Finally, there’s a community rising up for compassion, decency, and justice.”

The ice cream features a blend of coconut and passion fruit, which Cohen noted is especially popular among the immigrant community. It includes “chunks” of three types of hearts: salted caramel, chocolate, and red. He mentioned that the caramel hearts symbolize “the tears we shed for Renee and Alex and the sweat of the hard work we do for justice in their memory.” The chocolate hearts reflect “the love with which we approach our work,” while the red hearts represent “the hearts of people across the country who support Renee and Alex’s family and friends.”

A message on the ice cream container honors the resilience and spirit of Minneapolis residents who stand for justice and compassion, particularly highlighting the lives of Renee and Alex, who were killed by armed ICE officers.

Cohen didn’t hold back in his critique of ICE, calling it “a masked, lawless, rogue militia that blatantly violates the Constitution and tramples our rights as American citizens. It must be defunded and disbanded.”

He clarified that this initiative is separate from the corporate brand, stating, “This is not a taste of Ben and Jerry’s. It’s a taste of Ben’s Best, because Ben and Jerry’s is also kind of under occupation.” It’s interesting how he distances himself from the corporation while promoting this cause.

Previously, Cohen has been associated with other politically themed flavors including “Justice Remix,” which supported prison reform, and “Change is Coming,” which backed a police reform bill by Rep. Cori Bush. There’s also “Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee,” tied to Vice President Harris’s voting campaign, and a limited edition tribute to Bernie Sanders titled “Bernie is Back,” featuring cinnamon and chocolate.

The two co-founders sold Ben & Jerry’s to Unilever in 2000 with a governance agreement meant to uphold its social mission. However, they’ve expressed concerns over the brand’s values being compromised, leading Cohen to attempt to buy back the company in 2025, which Unilever declined. They later split off the ice cream assets, forming a new entity called Magnum Ice Cream Company.

Incorporating recent tragic incidents, the flavor references the cases of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Good was shot on January 7 after allegedly trying to run over ICE officers during a traffic stop, while his partner, Becca, faces investigation related to the incident, as video evidence suggests some exchanges may have encouraged Renee’s actions, although interpretations of her words vary.

Pretti was killed on January 24 when federal agents confronted him in a separate case. He had been recorded confronting them beforehand, hurling insults and making aggressive motions. Reports indicate that there was prior documentation against him before the fatal encounter.