Ben & Jerry’s Rolls Out Frozen Dog Treats

Ben & Jerry’s is debuting new Doggie Desserts products to offer frozen dog treats, CNBC reported.

The treats will be made out of ingredients used in the company’s existing ice creams, but the recipe will have a sunflower butter base instead of a dairy one so as to treat dogs’ stomachs gentler.

The first two flavors will be named after the dogs of the two company founders, with CNBC reporting that “Pontch’s Mix, which is peanut butter with a pretzel swirl, and Rosie’s Batch, a mix of pumpkin and mini cookies.”

The flavors hit the Ben & Jerry’s website on Monday (Jan. 11) and be available in stores later this month, CNBC reported. They’ll sell individually as 4-ounce mini-cups or in four-packs for a suggested price of around $2.99 or $4.99.

The ice cream giant began work on the sweets early in 2020, although the pandemic had a ballooning effect on the number of potential customers as pet-related needs surged during the quarantine. Numerous Americans have adopted or fostered pets during the crisis.

With that has come new pet products, including Walmart‘s work to offer pet insurance and dog-walking or pet-sitting services, and Chewy’s October launch of its virtual veterinarian visits, CNBC reported.

Ben & Jerry’s will have a sizable audience for the new frozen treats, with 67 percent of Americans owning a pet, or around 85 million families.

“People are at home, and they’re looking for some sort of additional comfort, and ice cream, specifically Ben & Jerry’s, is one of those go-to comfort foods,” said Lindsay Bumps, a Ben & Jerry’s global marketing specialist, who noted the same people are likely to be looking for indulgences for their pets, according to CNBC.

Pet-related sales have catapulted companies like Petco to go public, with that company seeking around $4 billion for its coming initial public offering (IPO).