Without honeybees, there would be no – Häagen-Dazs ice cream?
It’s true, the Oakland-Calif.-based sweets maker says. Honeybees help create ingredients that go into nearly 40 percent of Häagen-Dazs flavors.
In recognition of the bees’ crucial role and their plight under a disturbing malady known as colony collapse disorder, the company is bringing back a classic Häagen-Dazs ice cream flavor, Vanilla Honey Bee. It’s expected to be in stores beginning this week.
Also this week, Häagen-Dazs is launching the “Häagen-Dazs loves Honey Bees” campaign, tagging all its honeybee-affected flavors with a bee-striped heart with wings and “hd loves hb” icon. A portion of the proceeds from the bee-labeled flavors will be used to help the insects.
“The plight of the honeybee could mean many of the ingredients used in our top flavors, like Vanilla Swiss Almond and strawberry, would be tough to source and produce,” Häagen-Dazs Brand Manager Josh Gellert said.
In addition, Häagen-Dazs is donating $250,000 for bee-related research at both Pennsylvania State University and the University of California.
Dave Hackenberg, a beekeeper based in Dade City who was the first Florida apiarist to report that something was wrong with his bees, is serving on Häagen-Dazs’ new eight-person bee board.
“We are grateful they have taken the initiative,” Hackenberg said Friday from Lost Hills, Calif., where he and other Florida beekeepers were preparing for the almond pollination season. “Hopefully, we can get some other companies to follow suit.”
Häagen-Dazs plans this week to launch a site – www.helpthehoneybees.com – along with a print, TV and online advertising campaign dedicated to the colony collapse disorder problem.
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