JUNETEENTH… ICE CREAM

By J. Ester Davis

Esterdavis2000@gmail.com

Two. . . important things.  If you want to make ‘my day’, have with me a plentiful scope of ice cream on a sugar cone.  Secondly, the best black owned ice cream business is NOT at Walmart.  Which is the subject in part of this week’s article. I will make this short so you can look up “black owned ice cream businesses you should know’.  Personally,  I had great-big-fun… with this research.

Now let’s start with Walmart.  CNN Business announced the selling of “Juneteenth Ice Cream” a month ago, but the thrill was short-lived. Now, Walmart is apologizing for selling “Celebration Edition: “Juneteenth Ice Cream” under their private Great Value Label.  A Walmart spokesman with a carefully drafted response shared that the “feedback” . . . caused concern and we ‘sincerely apologize’. Backlash was not so polite, but was loud and clear from social media.  The decision to pull the ice cream from their shelves was made by Walmart. And according to my corporate inside sources, never had the opportunity to be stocked in Texas.

So where are the best black-owned ice cream businesses?  Creamalicious Ice Cream is nationwide. 

So, number one, ask for it.  There are all the flavor favorites. . .Peach Cobbler, Pecan Pie Ice Cream, chocolate w/nuts ice cream.

Sidebar: The other day while participating in a forum in Frisco, a black entrepreneurial college student was selling slices of pound cake exceptionally wrapped, properly labeled….in eight(8)different flavors.  Banana Cream Pound Cake, Peach Cobbler Pound Cake were my chosen ones.  Amazingly delicious!

Back to ice cream and the cities that are taking the “National Juneteenth Holiday” serious, not to mention to the next commercialized level are in New York, St. Louis, Baltimore, Houston, Washington DC, Oakland to name a few. Ice cream is everywhere.  If your favorite place to spend your money is not selling black-owned ice cream. . . . again, please ask intelligently.

There is a much deeper message here that should be acted upon.  Walmart made a “ big big mistake” thinking their brand on ‘anything’ could be and would be acceptable to their clienteles pro or con.  In addition, the authorities that made this decision witnessed a loss for the company, a demotion I hope,  stain on their reputation and a ‘cloud-of-dust’ for many customers.  Thank goodness for that someone who had the confidence to express their disappointment in the Walmart produced Juneteenth Ice Cream. Here is what the strategy should have been. With the obvious litany of black-owned companies most anxious to stock on Walmart shelves, why not just pick a credible black-owned business, allow them to run a beta test or sample space in those stores with the highest concentration of African Americans, add the Walmart advertising strength to the importance of black-owned products and enjoy the re-orders.

Ask for black owned ice cream for Juneteenth.  If you are selling it, please let me know.

COMING UP:  Juneteenth Parade. City Men Cook (Father’s Day) TINA: The Broadway Musical Review.