(The Hill) — Ben & Jerry’s co-founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, are unveiling a new ice cream flavor, “Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee,” as part of a get-out-the-vote initiative to elect Vice President Kamala Harris and some down-ballot Democrats in November.
Cohen and Greenfield will join progressive organization MoveOn Political Action for its “Scoop the Vote” ice cream truck tour, which kicks off in Philadelphia on Sept. 16, the same day early voting begins in Pennsylvania.
For the next month, the ice cream truck tour will make stops in more than 20 cities in battleground states and hold four additional rallies: in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Sept. 28; in Madison, Wisconsin, on Oct. 5; in Phoenix on Oct. 10, and in Las Vegas on Oct. 16.
During each stop, the organizers will distribute free ice cream and giveaways and help people make a plan to vote by Nov. 5. The MoveOn press release said there will be “special guests,” including elected officials and activists, who will also stop by on the tour.
“MoveOn’s Scoop the Vote Ice Cream Truck Tour will meet voters where they are and help mobilize our communities to defeat Trump once and for all this fall,” the group’s executive director, Rahna Epting, said in a statement.
Epting stressed how close the election is likely to be, saying, “Excitement and joy are on our side right now, but we cannot lose sight of how close this election will be.”
“A few thousand votes will decide whether we live under a democracy with Kamala Harris or a dictatorship with Donald Trump,” she added.
Cohen and Greenfield, at each stop, will also raffle off free limited-edition pints of “Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee,” described as coconut ice cream with a caramel ripple and confetti stars. Tour attendees can enter the raffle online, too.
The Harris-inspired ice cream is branded under “Ben’s Best,” not the traditional “Ben & Jerry’s.”
The coconut flavor is a nod to Harris’s viral coconut tree meme, which stemmed from an anecdote the vice president told about her mother that resurfaced in the last several weeks. The symbol of the coconut tree soon became a sign of support for the Democratic nominee.
Other election-themed ice cream flavors will be available at the ice cream truck stop, including “Unburdened by What has Vanilla Bean,” “Inauguration Celebration Birthday Cake,” “Fight For Our Rights Sorbet” and “MoveOn Mobilizer Milk Chocolate.”
Ben & Jerry’s has previously launched limited-edition flavors supporting certain political issues or candidates. In 2021, the company unveiled “Change is Brewing,” created in support of public safety legislation introduced by Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.). In 2018, the company launched a flavor celebrating the Women’s March.
And for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) presidential bids, in 2016 and 2020, the company created a flavor to support the progressive candidate.
