And The Winner Is?primary Berry Graham!

Ben & Jerry's Announces Name of New Rock the Vote Flavor - The First Democratically Named Ice Cream Flavor

BURLINGTON, VT (Wednesday, October 15, 2003) - The people have spoken. Primary Berry Graham beat out Berry Rock-US Caucus and My Straw(berry) Vote as the democratically elected name of the Ben & Jerry's new election-themed Rock the Vote flavor.

Ben & Jerry's gave America Online members the chance to name the new flavor and 364,791 members voted in the online election. Primary Berry Graham, with 37 percent of the vote, edged out Berry Rock-US Caucus (34 percent) and My Straw(berry) Vote (29 percent). Rock the Vote also registered nearly 15,500 new voters throughout the duration of the contest.

Ben & Jerry's created the delicious new flavor to support Rock the Vote's goal to register young people to vote, educate new voters on the issues and mobilize them to turn out at the polls. The flavor features strawberry cheesecake ice cream with strawberries and a thick graham cracker swirl. The inaugural pint of Primary Berry Graham hits store shelves in Spring 2004. A portion of the proceeds of Primary Berry Graham will go toward Rock the Vote's efforts to register new voters and get more people involved in the political process.

Janet Schooley from Smithville, MO was the creative genius behind the Primary Berry Graham flavor name. "I'm very excited to win this contest. I've never won anything like this before!" she said. "I love Ben & Jerry's ice cream and their catchy flavor names, so I entered the contest for kicks. The first thing that came to mind when I thought of elections was 'primary,' then I added 'berry' and 'graham' for the flavor and that was it."

In addition to getting her name suggestion immortalized on a Ben & Jerry's pint, Ms. Schooley also wins a trip for two to Burlington, VT to spend a day at Ben & Jerry's; a year's worth of Ben & Jerry's ice cream; and a trip for two to the Rock the Vote awards on February 7, 2004 in Los Angeles.

"This was a tight race and we're thrilled that so many people exercised their right to vote and elected a great name for the new Ben & Jerry's Rock the Vote flavor," said Jehmu Greene, executive director of Rock the Vote. "We are confident that, together with Ben & Jerry's, we will generate the same level of passion and enthusiasm for voting in the 2004 election."

"This contest was like a warm up for voting in the 2004 election, which is the one that really counts," agreed Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, co-founders of Ben & Jerry's. "Everybody thinks their vote doesn't count because they're just one person - the reality is that we're all just one person, but together we are incredibly powerful."

As part of this exercise in democracy, Ben & Jerry's gave AOL© members the chance to name the new flavor. The "primary" was held from August 28 to September 1 and more than 71,000 AOL members nominated names for the new flavor. Ben & Jerry's, Rock the Vote and AOL narrowed the field down to three finalists and the "general election" to name the flavor was held September 30 to October 4.

About Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's produces a wide variety of super premium, all natural ice cream and ice cream novelties, using dairy products from a Vermont dairy cooperative and high quality ingredients. The company is committed to using milk and cream that have not been treated with the synthetic hormone, rBGH, and states its position on rBGH on its labels. Ben and Jerry's products are distributed nationwide and in selected foreign countries in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, franchise Ben & Jerry's scoop shops, restaurants and other venues.

Ben & Jerry's, a wholly-owned autonomous subsidiary of Unilever, operates its business on a three-part mission statement emphasizing product quality, economic reward and a commitment to the community. Ben & Jerry's contributes a minimum of $1.1 million annually through corporate philanthropy that is primarily employee led. Contributions made via the Ben & Jerry's Foundation in 2001 totaled over $1.4 million. Additionally, the company makes significant product donations to community groups and nonprofits both in Vermont and across the nation. The purpose of Ben & Jerry's philanthropy is to support the founding values of the company: economic and social justice, environmental restoration and peace through understanding, and to support our Vermont communities. For the full scoop on all Ben & Jerry's fabulous flavors, visit www.benjerry.com.

About Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to protecting freedom of expression and empowering young people to change their world. Rock the Vote works with musical artists, actors and entertainment industry leaders to energize young people about participating in the political process. Rock the Vote's national Community Street Team network engages thousands of young people as political activists in their community: organizing, educating, and registering voters at concerts, community festivals, campuses, coffee shops and street corners. Rock the Vote is headquartered in Los Angeles with an office in Washington, D.C. Over the past decade, Rock the Vote has registered over three million new young voters and called on young people to recognize their role in creating significant political and social change. www.rockthevote.com.

About America Online
America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc. Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services.

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