Announcing its latest ice cream flavor, Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen declared, “We all need to stand up to protest, because now all of America is Minneapolis.”
“The flavor I’m making today is called ‘The Maxi Hearts of Minneapolis,'” Cohen said In a video. “Amidst all the fear and sadness, I’m encouraged by the spirit of Minneapolis. Finally, a community that is standing up and putting its body on the line for compassion, decency and justice.”
The ice cream base is a blend of coconut and passion fruit, a flavor Cohen says is a favorite of the immigrant community. Mix-in “pieces” include 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 symbolize “the hearts of people across our country going out to Renee and Alex’s family and friends.”
The message printed on the ice cream container reads: “This flavor is a tribute to the grit and spirit of the people of Minneapolis, who are leading with their hearts and putting their bodies on the line for justice and compassion. We especially honor the lives of Renee and Alex who were murdered by ICE’s masked, militarized, heavily armed rogues.”
Cohen used the announcement to declare, “ICE is a masked, lawless rogue paramilitary force that is blatantly violating the Constitution and trampling on our rights as American citizens. It must be disbanded and disbanded.”
Drawing a line between his activism and the corporate brand, Cohen said: “It’s not the taste of Ben & Jerry’s. It’s the best taste of Ben, because Ben & Jerry’s also has a kind of business, and they’re not going to say it, so I’ll say it.”
Previous politically themed flavors were either directly associated with Ben Cohen or incorporated into the Ben & Jerry’s brand. “Justice Remixed” support prison reform, “Change is coming” Supporting Representative Cori Bush’s policing bill, “Kamala’s coconut birth anniversary” Promoted in the Get Out the Vote campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris, and “Bernie’s Back,” A cinnamon-and-chocolate tribute to Bernie Sanders, which Cohen created as a limited-edition release.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield co-founded Ben & Jerry’s and sold the company to Unilever in 2000 under a unique governance agreement aimed at preserving its social mission. In 2025, greenfield publicly left The brand cited Unilever’s alleged silencing of its values and independence. That same year, Cohen Tried to To repurchase the company, but Unilever refused to sell. The company has since spun off its ice cream assets into a new, standalone entity called Magnum Ice Cream Company.
Taste Maxi Hearts of Minneapolis Refers to two recent fatal incidents. renee was good shot after allegedly speeding his vehicle toward an ICE agent during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis on January 7. Federal authorities have said the vehicle was used as a weapon, while his companion, Becca Good, is under investigation for allegedly potentially obstructing federal authorities. Video footage shows Becca challenging the agents before being shot, with some suggesting she encouraged Renee to “drive”, though others dispute the clarity of her words.
alex was pretty killed by federal agents on January 24 in a separate incident. A few days earlier, he was recorded on video shouting abuse at the agents, calling them “trash” and daring them to attack him. Federal immigration officials had reportedly documented information about Preeti before the shooting. He had brought a firearm with him on January 24, the day he was fatally shot.
