Yahoo Finance Ben & Jerry’s adorable new venture has tails wagging
After a long day of work, there’s nothing better than flopping on the couch, switching on Netflix and cracking open a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream… to share with your dog.
The iconic ice cream brand has invented a new line of products, Doggie Desserts, made specially for man’s four-legged best friend – but they’re edible for human consumption, too.
Ben & Jerry’s had already begun developing the dog-friendly treats before the pandemic hit, but its potential customer base has increased as pet adoption rates rise across the globe.
Dog shelters across Australia were emptied after Australia was forced into lockdown and millions of Australians worked remotely.
“People are at home and they’re looking for some sort of additional comfort and ice cream, specifically Ben & Jerry’s, is one of those go-to comfort foods,” said Ben & Jerrys global marketing specialist Lindsay Bumps as reported in CNBC.
Ben & Jerry’s new dog-friendly ice creams come in two flavours, ‘Pontch’s Mix’ – with peanut butter and pretzel swirls – and Rosie’s Batch, with pumpkin and mini cookies.
The products are named after company employees’ own dogs, who nominated their pets in an application process.
Pontch is a male French bulldog and Rosie is a mix of Doberman and Husky, according to CNBC.
The employees’ dogs were a ready-made focus group for taste-testing items during development, Bumps added.
According to Ben & Jerry’s FAQ page on the Doggie Desserts, the new products use sunflower butter, which is safe for dogs, and are also safe for owners to taste.
“While Doggie Desserts frozen dog treats were developed specifically for pups and are not labeled for human enjoyment, they do use the same ingredients that you’d find in our flavors made for humans,” the website states.
“So they are perfectly safe for you to taste, as long as you like pumpkin and pretzels!”
While the new ice creams are available through Ben & Jerry’s US site, it was not yet available on the Australian site at the time of publishing.
Yahoo Finance has reached out to Ben & Jerry’s for further comment.
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