Reuben Mattus gets a lot of the credit for creating the ice cream that has made Häagen-Dazs famous, but the brand wouldn’t be anywhere without the contributions of Mattus’ spouse and partner, Rose, who had the business and marketing acumen to turn the product into an icon.
In honor of Women’s History Month (and the just-passed International Women’s Day), Häagen-Dazs is launching “The Rose Project,” a global initiative to acknowledge the company’s woman co-founder and the role she played in the business.
As part of the promo, Häagen-Dazs will rename its vanilla ice cream flavor as a “Founder’s Favourite” in commemorative packaging available for sale throughout March in several locations. The company also celebrated the day by offering free scoops of vanilla ice cream to consumers in stores across Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East on International Women’s Day (March 8).
In addition, Häagen-Dazs has pledged to contribute $100,000 in grants to so-called #WomenWhoDon’tHoldBack to recognize their efforts, achievements and contributions. The company is accepting nominations through a dedicated website. From those nominations, 50 women will be shortlisted for their work, and five will be granted $20,000 each to continue that work or give to a cause they are passionate about.
