Ben & Jerry's Newest Flavor Had Help From A Famous Movie Director

In today's world of endless choices, some brands define themselves by simplicity, hoping to save consumers from decision paralysis by limiting their options. Ben & Jerry's is not one of those brands. Since launching in 1978, the Vermont-based ice cream purveyor has soared far beyond the confines of its original flavor (vanilla, predictably enough) with dozens of playful pints that speak to anyone's late-night dessert cravings: Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Coffee Toffee Bar Crunch, and Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake among them.

True to form, Ben & Jerry's has taken to expanding its roster of flavors by collaborating with big names in pop culture. The brand boasts a whole genre of celebrity-inspired scoops, including favorites like Cherry Garcia (named after Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia), Phish Food (inspired by the improv-rock giants of the same name), and more recent treats like Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream, per CNBC). 

What each of these punny pints has in common, other than their ties to household names du jour, is the fact that a portion of their proceeds benefits charitable organizations backed by their respective namesakes. For its latest release, Ben & Jerry's is teaming up with renowned film director Ava DuVernay for a philanthropic treat.

As the first Black American woman to win Best Director at Sundance, direct an Academy Award Best Picture nominee and direct a film with a budget over $100 million, per National Women's History Museum, DuVernay is a defining voice in movie-making. Given her relatively short career (the 2014 Martin Luther King, Jr. biopic "Selma" was DuVernay's first big film), it's all the more impressive that she's also the highest-grossing Black woman director in American box office history, per NWHM.

In 2020, in the wake of the virally broadcast murder of George Floyd, DuVernay's media company ARRAY started the Law Enforcement Accountability Project "with the goal of commissioning, funding and amplifying works from Black and female artists that focus on police violence," per The New York Times. Together with Ben & Jerry's, the director is garnering support for the organization through a flavor called Lights! Caramel Action!, coming to an ice cream freezer near you in January 2023.

As for what's inside, the pint features salted caramel and graham cracker swirls, and "gobs" of chocolate chip cookie dough in a vanilla base. There's also a milk-free version with vanilla non-dairy frozen dessert.