Ice Cream Entrepreneurs Will Visit Battleground States to Register Voters
In May 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris appeared in what became a viral video when she quoting her mother as saying, “Do you think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” Then Harris followed with an interpretation of her mom’s remark: “You exist within the context of all in which you live and what came before.”
The video, recorded at a swearing-in ceremony for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics, has amassed more than 1.4 million views. Now the coconut has evolved into a symbol of support for Harris’ current presidential campaign. And ultimately it inspired Ben & Jerry’s co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield to create their limited-edition ice cream flavor “Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee,” which will play a role in their political activism during the presidential campaign.
Founders Team with MoveOn
The dessert was developed as part of a partnership between Cohen, Greenfield and MoveOn, a progressive public policy advocacy group, USA Today reported. As part of that collaboration, Cohen and Greenfield will hit the road to register voters, making 20 stops in battleground state cities in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin.
The get-out-the-vote trip will kick off with a Philadelphia rally on Monday, Sept. 16 – the same day that early voting begins in the swing state of Pennsylvania, The Hill reported. The political website also stated that the ice cream truck tour will hold four more rallies: Ann Arbor, Mich., on Sept. 28; Madison, Wis., on Oct. 5; Phoenix on Oct. 10; and Las Vegas on Oct. 16. Organizers of the multi-state tour also hope to generate support for down-ballot Democratic Party candidates, The Hill said.
Cohen and Greenfield will do their civic duty from a free Scoop the Vote ice cream truck and at each stop will raffle off pints of “Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee,” a caramel-layered coconut ice cream topped with red, white and blue star sprinkles. Some additional flavors to be given away allude to other Harris memes, including “Unburdened by What Has Vanilla Bean,” or refer to policies, like “Fight for Our Rights Sorbet.”
MoveOn’s Mission
MoveOn Executive Director Rahna Epting told USA Today the ice cream truck tour aims to rev up the interest of voters – particularly people who may not have previously planned to cast ballots – in this year’s presidential election. “There’s a ton of folks that are already tuned into this election, and then there’s a vast, vast set of folks that aren’t,” the newspaper quoted Epting as saying. A MoveOn news release said “special guests,” including elected officials and activists, also will participate in the tour, according to The Hill.
If potential voters stop by the ice cream truck, they aren’t just going to get a free scoop, of course. There also will be a political pitch. Epting said volunteers will converse truck-side with people to advocate participating in the election and to bring up key campaign issues such as the economy and reproductive rights. The comprehensive effort aims to influence a tight race: Recent polls show Harris and former President Donald Trump roughly tied with less than two months before Election Day, Nov. 5.
Creating Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee
Harris’ flavor was a hands-on project for Cohen and Greenfield. Cohen told USA Today they used a tabletop ice cream maker to churn the coconut ice cream and then swirled in caramel before topping it off with sprinkles, which reflect the jubilee reference in the flavor’s name. They produced 40 pints of their new flavor; the packaging features a photograph of Harris surrounded by palm trees and red, white and blue stars.
“Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee” is being released under the Ben’s Best label, which is not affiliated with the Ben & Jerry’s brand. As a result, People magazine emphasized that ice cream aficionados may score a sample only at the free ice cream truck.
Past Politicking by Ben & Jerry’s
The Ben & Jerry’s brand and its co-founders haven’t been shy about political activism. In 2021, the brand launched its “Change is Brewing” flavor to back public-safety legislation introduced by Rep. Cori Bush, a Missouri Democrat, and in 2018, the company launched a flavor celebrating the Women’s March.
During past U.S. presidential campaigns, Cohen and Greenfield concocted special ice cream flavors to support independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2019. In speaking with USA Today, Cohen explained their allegiance to Harris this way: “Kamala is a person who supports people. She doesn’t try to make herself bigger by putting other people down.”
