The company may be based in Vermont, but Ben & Jerry's knows Texas. After introducing two custom-made flavors at the Cultivate Festival in Irving last year, the company decided the Lone Star State needed its own official flavor, and is touring across the state this summer to share them with fans. The two flavors are Bourbon Pecan Pie and Bar-B-Que Peach. Fans can vote for their favorite after sampling scoops of each, and the winning flavor will find its way to Texas store shelves later this year.
Jana Steele and Dan Bookmiller are driving the official Ben & Jerry’s van across Texas, and made their first stop in San Antonio at Texas Public Radio after Volunteer & Event Coordinator Elisa Gonzales contacted the company. TPR staff members, as well as other tenants of Highpoint Towers, were able to sample both flavors the afternoon of July 24.
Staff were particularly enamored with the Bourbon Pecan Pie, which is loaded with chunks of shortbread and pecans. But all were pleasantly surprised with the Bar-B-Que Peach flavor as well. If the idea of a barbecue-flavored ice cream sounds disgusting, do not fear. The ancho peach cream is lightly swirled with a caramel-based BBQ sauce flavor, providing a sweet base with a little chile “kick.”
Asked about how much time they spend on the road, Steele and Bookmiller said they’re in the van about eight months out of the year. Then Steele revealed, “[The van] was the ultimate test to see if we could get married or not last year!” Sweet, indeed.
The Texas Churned tour will be in San Antonio through August 14. Fans that want the van to show up at their place of work should tweet the team @BenJerrysTexas using the hashtag #TexasChurned. They might just show up at your workplace or home!
The van is also taking time while in the area to appear at some charitable events, such as a flood relief benefit in New Braunfels, held last weekend. In addition to its products, Ben & Jerry’s is known for raising awareness of causes locally and globally. “It is about ice cream, but there’s always a bigger social mission behind everything that they do,” says Steele.
Fun day at work - Ben & Jerry's ice cream stopped in as part of their #TexasChurned Tour! #WeAllScream #yum A photo posted by Elisa (@egonzales74) on Jul 24, 2015 at 2:27pm PDT
