Innovation

Ben and Jerry’s, the Vermont-based ice cream manufacturer, has been around for quite some time and has figured out how to do more than provide us with tasty pints for late-night binge eating. Whether it's about what they want in their ice cream or what they want to change in the system, Ben & Jerry’s has become a voice for the people. In 2009, after Vermont became the fifth state to allow same-sex marriage, the firm decided to rebrand its Chubby Hubby flavor to Hubby Hubby to reflect the new social climate better. In 2016, Ben & Jerry’s returned to the United States Capital to distribute pints of EmpowerMint ice cream to congress members, along with a letter requesting them to begin working to restore the supreme court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act in 2013. The letter accompanies the pints of ice cream. In the same year, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield were detained during the demonstrations that were part of the democracy awakening.

Inspiration

In accordance with the company’s guiding principles, “Ben & Jerry’s is committed to promoting human rights and dignity, advancing social and economic justice for underserved communities, and preserving and restoring the planet’s natural systems.” The people and the planet are their inspiration to stand for human rights and justice for all communities while restoring the planet’s natural systems. Ben & Jerry’s supports voting rights, racial justice, LGBTQ rights, climate justice, and campaign finance reform. The organization argues that democracy only thrives when it benefits all its citizens. People need to do their part to defend the rights of all by getting themselves registered to vote. It also posits that we must address and eliminate the institutional structural roots of racism. When it comes to fights for LGBTQ+ justice, rights, and equality, B&J has a long history of siding with and supporting the community.

Overall impact

One of the main impacts of these ice cream flavors is the awareness it raises for the issues that may otherwise go unnoticed. Many people are unaware of the voter suppression tactics happening in states like Georgia and North Carolina. In 2016, Ben & Jerry’s employees visited these states to work with an organization: Black Voters Matter, where they got to scoop their EmpowerMint ice cream flavor, assist people in registering to vote, and remind others of the importance of their vote in the upcoming election. Having a presence in an area where racial inequality is more prevalent enabled Ben & Jerry’s to truly have an impact on reducing inequalities.

During the legalization of same-sex marriage, Ben & Jerry’s wanted to encourage same-sex couples to receive their marriage licenses by offering their Hubby Hubby flavor (traditionally known as Chubby Hubby) at the Clerk’s offices in Vermont’s two biggest cities. This change created a supportive and encouraging environment for a group that experiences varying levels of inequality.

Short-term effects of using socially aimed ice cream flavors get the conversations started about the specific issue at hand and Ben & Jerry’s perspective on it and how that makes the company look. People have a lot to say about companies that take a stand on social issues, positive or negative. Ben & Jerry’s is not too concerned about how people view their company after they make a statement or become involved with organizations actively fighting for what the company believes in. Sean shared that he often receives many angry emails from consumers who disagree with Ben & Jerry’s perspective on issues like racial justice and equal rights. Despite having a few dissatisfied consumers, the company was able to generate conversations about these issues, and that is where all change begins to happen.

The long-term effects of using socially aimed ice cream flavors would be a lasting impact on consumers and society. As we just mentioned, all change starts with a conversation. Many people can be unaware of or indifferent toward inequality. It may not be until they see Ben & Jerry’s working towards reducing inequality that they discover the issues around them. Raising awareness and helping to show people the topics that need attention and ways to get involved are some of the major company's goals with these ice cream flavors.

Business benefit

One thing that Ben & Jerry’s wants to be clear on is that their stance on social issues is not financially motivated anyway. From the very beginning, the company felt that its products should always work towards improving social change. If a product concept is presented to them that makes no effort towards any social mission, they move on to another idea. This effort shows the importance of social change for Ben & Jerry’s. Sean Greenwood mentioned, "In his thirty years with the company, he has never heard someone raise concerns about their social missions hurting sales." Sean also said, "The company has yet to see a dip in sales from the company taking a stance on a topic."

People have even raised concerns that Ben & Jerry’s introduces these flavors to appeal to different minorities and improve their sales. This statement could not go any further from the truth. Sean Greenwood commented on this perspective by saying we don't do our social mission as a marketing tool. We take a stance on issues we believe in because we believe in using business power to address progressive change in the values that match with us.

It is clear that Ben & Jerry’s is not investing in creating innovative flavors to see any significant financial benefits. However, the changes the company does see are much more valuable to them. Being able to be heavily involved in reducing inequality throughout the country is something the company has enjoyed being involved in and has found very beneficial for their employees. The company highly supports efforts at reducing racial, gender, and many other inequalities, not only internally but also throughout society. Sean Greenwood mentions how important it is to the core values of the company and its employees that they take a stand against inequality. The satisfaction of knowing they are doing the right thing as a company is the biggest benefit of Ben & Jerry’s experiences.

Social and environmental benefit

Ben and Jerry's mission statement consists of three parts: product, economic and social mission. Aside from making the best quality ice cream for their product, Ben and Jerry's is "okay making a fair product as a business and then using the rest of that money (profit) to invest back into communities to address the marginalized," said Sean during our interview. That's the unique part of their mission; the social part. During the interview, Sean gave an example of how Jerry does not want to be a part of anything that doesn't involve having a social aspect. The social mission is what Ben and Jerry's draws to when it comes to everything. For instance, he stated that if a new product comes into the business, some of the products' profits have to go to one of their social justice issues, such as voting rights, racial justice, LGBTQ + rights, etc. If it is not highlighting any social issues, then they don't want to be a part of it because, as stated above, making a profit is essential to them; however, making a change within their community overrides everything else.

Ben and Jerry's have devised a creative way to spread awareness of social issues. The company has begun giving their signature ice cream names that support oppressed groups in society, such as people of color, the LGBTQ community, etc. Ben and Jerry's is benefiting society and the environment by highlighting Black-owned businesses. Sean stated, "We barely relaunched our Change is Brewing flavor down in Atlanta two weeks ago on September 20th. We made this flavor specifically using coffee grounds from a Black-owned coffee roaster: BLK and Bold."

The Change Is Brewing ice cream flavor relaunched this year to focus on voting rights, especially for people of color, by working with the Black Voters Matters Organization because of the regressive voting laws in Georgia. If they can get more people to register to vote, they will have a voice in who they want to vote for instead of just going along with everything else. Ben and Jerry's include their social mission in all their products, making them stand out among other brands. This mission can be an act where other brands, not only ice cream brands but other businesses, can adapt and help out so we can all fight social justice issues together; that way, there will be little to no problems.

Interview

Sean Greenwood, Director of PR & Communications