Just in time to mark Refugee Week, ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s has announced it will be releasing a new flavour in collaboration with eight entrepreneurs with refugee backgrounds.
Called Sunny Honey Home, the novel flavour features a creamy lemon taste, gooey and sweet honey caramel swirls and citrusy cookies in celebration of flavours of Morocco, Afghanistan and Syria.
The entrepreneurs, together with their allies from The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN) and the migrant entrepreneur community, tried to select flavours that reflected the cultures of their home nations.
The collaboration provided mentoring for the entrepreneurs and training to improve their skills in product research and development as well as in self-employment. It also highlighted the importance of refugees having meaningful work that helps them with their professional and language skills, mental health and which gives them financial security.
The new ice cream’s packaging was designed by another TERN graduate, Edwige Seri. Her work was inspired by the landscape of Afghanistan, the flowers of Syria and Morocco’s diversity and its people’s love of patterns.
The tub depicts a family resting on an Afghanistan lakeside, enjoying a summer sunset.
NEW Sunny Honey Home! We co-created this flavour with 8 refugee entrepreneurs and our allies at TERN to bring the tastes and cultures of their home countries to the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream family. Proceeds will help fund refugee-led start-up businesses. What’s sweeter than that? pic.twitter.com/0OUEJfJds6
— Ben & Jerry's UK 🧡 (@benandjerrysUK) June 14, 2023
Ben & Jerry’s new Sunny Honey Home will be available in Co-ops across the UK from June 19. All the proceeds will help to fund refugee-led start-ups, with the goal of supporting the next generation of business owners.
Research conducted by the International Rescue Committee showed that when refugees find work or self-employment that builds on their skillset, it helps them rebuild their lives, become more self-sufficient and better integrate into society.
Talking about it, one of the entrepreneurs named Laila revealed: “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.”
Elif Ulun Asci, social mission programme manager at Ben & Jerry’s, also shared her thoughts on the project, saying: “We’ve been working with TERN for many years now to co-create entrepreneurship programmes for people with refugee backgrounds.
“Sunny Honey Home is the result of collaborating with eight incredibly talented entrepreneurs who shared the rich cultural heritage of their home countries to co-create a stand-out flavour, which I think is our most special yet. We’re excited to share the flavour, and the stories under the lid, with our fans.”
