Announcing its newest ice cream flavor, Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, stated, “We all need to stand up to protest because all of America is Minneapolis now.”
“The flavor I’m making today is called ‘The Maxi Hearts of Minneapolis,’” says Cohen declared in a video. “Amid all the horror and sadness, I am encouraged by the spirit of Minneapolis. Finally, a community standing up and putting their bodies on the line for compassion, decency and justice.”
The base of the ice cream is a mix of coconut and passion fruit; the flavors are a favorite among the immigrant community, according to Cohen. The mix-in “chunks” contain three types of hearts: salted caramel, chocolate and red. Cohen explains that the caramel hearts “represent the tears we cry for Renee and Alex, and the sweat of the hard work we will do for justice in their memory.” The chocolate hearts “represent the love with which we will do that work,” and the red hearts are meant to “symbolize the hearts of people across our country going out to Renee and Alex’s family and friends.”
Printed on the ice cream container is the message: “This flavor celebrates the courage and spirit of the people of Minneapolis, who lead with their hearts and put their bodies on the line for justice and compassion. We especially honor the lives of Renee and Alex who were murdered by the masked, militarized, heavily armed thugs of ICE.”
Cohen used the announcement to declare: “ICE is a masked, lawless paramilitary force that is blatantly violating the Constitution and trampling on our rights as American citizens. It must be dismantled and disbanded.”
Cohen drew a line between his activism and the corporate brand, noting, “This is not a flavor of Ben and Jerry’s. It’s a flavor of Ben’s Best, because Ben and Jerry’s is also under some form of occupation, and they’re not going to say it, so I will.”
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield co-founded Ben & Jerry’s and sold the company to Unilever in 2000 under a unique governance agreement designed to preserve the company’s social mission. In 2025, Greenfield will announce publicly left the brand, citing Unilever’s alleged silence of its values and independence. That same year, Cohen tried to buy back the company, but Unilever refused to sell. The company has since spun off its ice cream assets into a new standalone entity, the Magnum Ice Cream Company.
The taste Maxi Harten of Minneapolis refers to two recent fatal incidents. Renee Good was shot on Jan. 7 after she allegedly accelerated her vehicle toward an ICE agent during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Federal authorities have said the vehicle was used as a weapon, while her partner, Becca Good, is reportedly under investigation for possibly obstructing federal officers. Video footage shows Becca taunting officers before the shots were fired, with some suggesting she encouraged Renee to “drive” while others dispute the clarity of her words.
Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents on Jan. 24 in a separate incident. Days earlier, he was recorded on video shouting profanities at officers, calling them “trash” and daring them to attack him. Federal immigration officials had reportedly documented information about Pretti before the shooting. He had brought a firearm with him on January 24, the day he was fatally shot.
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