Ben & Jerry’s co-founder unveils ‘Bernie’s Yearning’ ice cream flavor

Dylan Stableford
·Senior Writer
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Ben Cohen made 40 pints of “Bernie’s Yearning” in his kitchen. (Photo illustration by Yahoo News)

Ben & Jerry’s co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield introduced Bernie Sanders at his campaign launch in Burlington, Vt., last year, and now they’ve introduced “Bernie’s Yearning,” a new, extremely limited-edition ice cream flavor inspired by the Vermont senator and 2016 Democratic presidential hopeful.

“Nothing is so unstoppable as a flavor whose time has finally come,” Cohen wrote on his Facebook page Monday. The pint of plain mint ice cream topped by a chocolate disk that, according to its description, represents “the huge majority of economic gains that have gone to the top 1% since the end of the recession.”

“Beneath it, the rest of us,” the description reads.

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(Images: Courtesy of Ben Cohen)

Bernie’s Yearning isn’t an official Ben & Jerry’s product. The Ben & Jerry’s name and tagline have been replaced by “Ben’s Best” and “Vermont’s Finest Senator” on its distinctive packaging. And the company, which Cohen and Greenfield sold to Unilever 16 years ago, quickly distanced itself from the partisan flavor.

“This was created by Ben as a citizen,” read a message on the Ben & Jerry’s Twitter feed. “The company is not involved.”

Cohen said he produced a limited batch of 40 pints — 25 of which will be donated to Sanders’ campaign.

A spokesman for Cohen told Politico that the campaign “had purchased all the ingredients, services, and supplies for the ice cream” and that Cohen and Greenfield “are volunteering their time to make the pints in Cohen’s kitchen.”

It’s not the first time “Vermont’s finest” and presidential politics have swirled together. In 2009, Ben & Jerry’s produced a flavor, “Yes Pecan,” honoring President Obama’s historic inauguration and featuring “Amber Waves of Buttery Ice Cream With Roasted Non-Partisan Pecans.”

Later that year, the company celebrated the legalization of gay marriage in Vermont by renaming its “Chubby Hubby” flavor “Hubby Hubby.”