Ice Cream with a Purpose, in Collaboration with Entrepreneurial Newcomers
Ice cream enthusiasts will be thrilled about the latest, never-before-seen flavor from Ben & Jerry's, now available in the freezers at Albert Heijn since July 24th: let's meet Sunny Honey Home. This delightful flavor features creamy lemon-flavored ice cream, luscious and sweet honey-caramel swirls, and lemon-flavored cookies. It’s co-created with entrepreneurial newcomers and brings the home tastes of Morocco, Afghanistan, and Syria to our spoons.
What sets this flavor apart is the people who created it and their passion for the ingredients used. Eight entrepreneurial newcomers joined forces with their allies from TERN (The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network) and DELITELABS to create a never-before-seen ice cream that brings the flavors and cultures of their home countries to the Ben & Jerry's ice cream family.
The stand-out tub packaging was designed by Edwige Seri, a TERN graduate, strategic brand designer, surface pattern designer, researcher and artist. Her design was inspired by the landscape of Afghanistan, the flowers from Syria and the patterns and diversity of Morocco. The story behind the tub design brings together a family resting on an Afghanistan lakeside, enjoying a summer sunset.
One of the participants, Laila, said: “I have such wonderful memories with lemon from back home in Paktia, Afghanistan so I knew exactly how the Sunny Honey Home flavour would make me feel when we came up with it. The first time I tried the final product was emotional for me. People say when you make food with love it turns out nicer than the recipe and I think that is what happened with Sunny Honey Home.”
As part of the project, participants received mentoring and training to improve skills in product research & development, marketing and communication. They came together as a community and combined their skills and experience to leverage new ideas and create Sunny Honey Home. What’s even better: part of the proceeds of the new flavour will help fund refugee led startup businesses, supporting the next generation to flourish.
Research from the International Rescue Committee shows that when people with refugee experiences access employment or self-employment that builds on their skillset, it helps them rebuild their lives, become more self-sufficient and better integrated into society. Meaningful work gives refugees access to social and professional networks, opportunities to practice language skills, generate an income to provide for themselves and their families and is also associated with positive mental health*.
Fred Kastner, co-founder of TERN said: “Right now, more than 100 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced from their homes— more than at any point in history. Refugees are often very entrepreneurial, and entrepreneurship can be a great springboard for them to rebuild their lives. What most excites us about Sunny Honey Home is the added value the team of creatives from our community brought to the project, whilst ensuring that the product has a lasting impact. We can’t wait to grab a tub of this delicious creation from the freezer.”
Tess Vanacker, Social Mission Manager at Ben & Jerry's Benelux, said: "For years, Ben & Jerry’s has been collaborating with social partners TERN and DELITELABS to guide newcomers toward entrepreneurship or work. Sunny Honey Home is the result of our collaboration with eight talented newcomers, who brought the rich cultural heritage of their home countries to the Ben & Jerry's ice cream family. We are incredibly proud of that!"
Hanna Wieten, Social Entrepreneur & Managing Director at DELITELABS, on the project: "The Ice Cream Challenge is a great example of how businesses can foster innovation by embracing diversity and actively involving people from different backgrounds. For this project, alumni from our international entrepreneurship program, UP Collective, worked together with our partners Ben & Jerry's to create a new flavor. How cool is it that you can now purchase a delicious new flavor, Sunny Honey Home, and literally taste the power of diversity!"
The new flavor with a mission that fans can dig their spoons into:
Sunny Honey Home: Creamy Lemon Flavour Ice Cream with Honey Caramel Swirls & Lemon Flavour Cookies, inspired by tastes of home in Syria, Morocco, and Afghanistan.
Link to research: https://www.rescue.org/page/7-reasons-why-refugees-make-great-employees.
About Ben & Jerry’s
Ben & Jerry’s has been making great ice cream since the company was founded by school friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, back in 1978. Their aim is (and always has been!) to make the best possible ice cream, in the nicest possible way. We use Fairtrade certified ingredients in our non-dairy range, including sugar, cocoa, vanilla, bananas, and coffee. To learn more about how we do business, visit www.benjerry.nl
About TERN
TERN is an ambitious social enterprise on a mission to enable refugees to thrive through the power of their own ideas. They help refugees become entrepreneurs, launch businesses and take control of their own futures. TERN is also the international coordinator of the UP Collective programme. The ever-growing TERN community now supports over 330 refugee founders. Alongside their experienced volunteer community of over 200 industry experts, entrepreneurs and consultants, their goal is to launch 2,000 refugee-led businesses by 2025. To find out more, visit wearetern.org TERN and Ben & Jerry’s partnered to create the UP Collective programme, now in its 7th year. All flavour designers who partook Ice Cream Design Challenge are graduates of this unique programme combining entrepreneurship training with part time employment. Read more about UP Collective here: up-collective.com
About DELITELABS
DELITELABS is an inclusive startup school with a mission to enable newcomers to shape their own path to independent self and tap into the potential they bring. DELITELABS provides entrepreneurship training and fosters independence. Through collaborations with businesses and others, DELITELABS is building an inclusive society. DELITELABS is Ben & Jerry's partner for the UP Collective program in the Netherlands. Learn more at: delitelabs.com.