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Van Leeuwen is home to some of the most forward-thinking flavors on the ice cream scene—remember those collaborations with Hidden Valley Ranch and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese? Now, the artisanal creamery is upping the cool factor with a new flavor inspired by one of the artists who helped define the New York we know today: the late, great Keith Haring.
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Kicking off on Thursday, June 1, in honor of Pride Month, the special-edition flavor is Passion Fruit Berry Pop, a fittingly multicolored mix of blue raspberry ice cream and yellow passion fruit ice cream with swirls of strawberry jam made to mimic the colorful pop-art sensibilities of Haring's most famous and iconic works. And of course, the carton has to look as good as its contents—each pint will be covered in Keith Haring artwork. (See below.)
The flavor will be available by the scoop and by the pint through Monday, August 31, at Van Leeuwen scoop shops as well as at select grocery stores in the Tri-State area. In addition, special edition Van Leeuwen x Keith Haring merchandise will be available online and in select scoop shops.
“We are huge fans of Keith Haring and this is the first flavor we’ve ever done that is inspired by art,” said Van Leeuwen CEO and cofounder Ben Van Leeuwen. “It was so cool to design an ice cream flavor around Haring’s artwork and to imagine what it would look and taste like.”
Gil Vazquez, Director of the Keith Haring Foundation and a close personal friend of the artist, added: "We are so excited to partner with Van Leeuwen on this special pint. SoHo in NYC was home to Keith Haring and the NYC streets were his canvas–it's such a natural fit to work with a brand that had its beginning in the streets of SoHo.”
A portion of proceeds from Van Leeuwen pint sales will be donated to The Center, a resource hub for the LGBTQ+ community, NYC residents and visitors, providing programs for health, wellness, and community connection.
And that's not the only news Van Leeuwen is scooping up this summer: along with Passion Fruit Berry Pop, the chain is rolling out other special seasonal flavors, such as Ice Cream Cake, Vegan Pina Colada and Lemon Sorbet, from June 2 through August 31.
