Ben & Jerry’s Israel Launches ‘Milk and Honey’ Flavor Inspired by Southern Israel’s Resilience

Ben & Jerry’s Israel has launched a new flavor called “Milk and Honey,” years after the international brand became the center of a major boycott fight over sales in Judea and Samaria.

The flavor, inspired by the biblical description of the Land of Israel, includes cream ice cream with vanilla, honey and chocolate fudge pieces shaped like Stars of David. Ben & Jerry’s Israel is presenting it as its “most Israeli flavor ever.”

The company said the flavor was built around Israeli ingredients and local production, with a focus on southern communities affected by the Hamas-led October 7 massacre and the war that followed.

The milk and cream come from southern Israel and the Gaza-envelope area. The honey comes from Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, near the Gaza border. The chocolate Stars of David are handmade in Beersheba through Shkulo Tov, a social enterprise that helps people with disabilities and employment barriers enter the workforce.

Ben & Jerry’s Israel said it “felt a responsibility to take an active part in the region’s recovery process.” Proceeds from the new flavor are expected to support the Ayalim Association, which works to strengthen Israel’s periphery through educational, social and community projects.

The launch comes nearly five years after Ben & Jerry’s announced in July 2021 that it would stop selling ice cream in what it called the “Occupied Palestinian Territory,” saying sales there were “inconsistent with our values.”

The decision triggered a major backlash in Israel and among pro-Israel groups abroad. Israeli officials accused the company of joining the boycott movement against Israel, while supporters of the Israeli franchise argued that the move punished an Israeli-owned business and its workers.

The commercial standoff ended in June 2022, when Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s parent company, sold the Israeli business to Avi Zinger, the longtime Israeli licensee and owner of American Quality Products Ltd. Zinger had manufactured and distributed Ben & Jerry’s in Israel for decades.

Under the deal, Ben & Jerry’s could continue to be sold throughout Israel and Judea and Samaria under Hebrew and Arabic branding. The Vermont-based Ben & Jerry’s company opposed the move and said it would no longer profit from Israeli sales.

Since then, Ben & Jerry’s Israel has operated separately from the American company’s political stance. The new “Milk and Honey” flavor marks one of its clearest efforts to present the Israeli operation as local, independent and tied to the country’s recovery after October 7.