Ben & Jerry’s has added Sweet Mango Memories, a “fruity” ice cream variant created with entrepreneurs from refugee backgrounds.
The NPD combines sweet dairy ice cream, with mango swirls and white chocolate ampersand chunks.
It was created by 13 entrepreneurs from the UP Collective programme, who have been forcibly displaced, working together with The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN), Ben & Jerry’s flavour gurus and retail experts from Co-op.
Sweet Mango Memories brought to life “the taste and smells associated with some of the happiest memories and joyful events of the refugee co-creator’s lives”, said Ben & Jerry’s.
It has rolled into Co-op stores (rsp: £5.75/465ml), with proceeds from every tub going to supporting people with refugee backgrounds to explore entrepreneurship.
The packaging was co-designed by Up Collective graduate Olya Shevchenko, who is a UI/UX designer and artist with a refugee background.
This is Ben & Jerry’s’ second ice cream created in partnership with the UP Collective and TERN. It added Sunny Honey Home, inspired by flavours from Morocco, Afghanistan and Syria, in 2023.
The initiative demonstrated “the power of co-creation”, said Ben & Jerry’s social mission manager Elif Ulun Asci.
“The collaborative process means refugee entrepreneurs gain valuable opportunities that they can put into practice in their own entrepreneurial ventures,” Ulun Asci added.
TERN co-founder Fréd Kastner said: “At TERN, it moves us deeply to partner with Ben & Jerry’s and our alumni to create delightful new flavours that not only bring joy to ice cream fans across Europe, but also celebrate the stories and cultures of refugee entrepreneurs.
“We encourage other businesses with a conscience to follow in Ben & Jerry’s footsteps and to partner with us to co-create their own innovative products and services with refugee entrepreneurs that benefit everyone.”
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