Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor suggestion

This summer I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, a 2168-mile footpath that runs from Georgia to Maine -- passing through a total of 14 states, including Vermont. Hikers restock in the numerous towns that the trail passes through or near -- but otherwise, our diet consists of a plethora of freeze-dried foods, Ramman-noodles, pop-tarts, granola, and GORP (a combination of granola, oatmeal, raisins, and peanuts). Bon appetite.

Needless to say, our town binges include all unavailable food products -- hamburgers and fries, salads, burritos, and -- most importantly -- your famous Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

In my three months on the trail, I would estimate my B&J's intake between 12 and 15 pints. It was a staple during my town visits -- frequently serving as an entire dinner, lunch, snack, and sometimes even for breakfast.

B&J's serves a number of purposes, making it a favorite among hikers. First, it's cold -- and when you are hiking 25 miles/day in 90-degree humid heat, that's very important. Second, it's a major calorie source. At 1200 calories, it's almost as calorie-rich as peanut butter or olive oil -- but B&J's is a whole lot tastier. And third -- and most important -- it provides a psychological respite from the trail, which wears on hikers once the initial novelty wears off, which happens for most of us before we even reach North Carolina, about 60 miles into the trail.

The market for such a flavor is larger than you might think. Your customers will be every Appalachian Trail hiker, every outdoor-enthusiast, and normal people who just like the flavor. Nearly every town the trail passes through -- "trail towns" they're called -- has it stocked somewhere. If not, it's a major disappointment. I would pass time on the day preceding my town entrance by visualizing the devouring of a pint of cookie dough, peanut butter, or ny super fudge.

There is a philosophy behind this flavor, similar to the philosophy behind GORP. The chunk mixture must be simple, easy to find, and each component must be similar in size -- otherwise some things float to the top of the bag and others sink to the bottom. The mixture should provide a combination of protein (through peanuts, and chocolate to some degree), simple carbs (like chocolate and raisins), complex carbs (granola and oats), and fat (peanuts and chocolate). The ultimate goal of this mixture must be *high energy*. My suggestion for a mixture would be: M&M's, peanuts, butterscotch morsels, raisins, and granola -- though it could be varied a bit based on each component's reaction to sitting in ice cream (I would be worried about the granola becoming soggy.)

I would be very interested to talk to your more about this proposal. If things become serious, I would even be willing to work for you guys doing product development in the spring, since I am planning to take that semester off from Duke and graduate next fall. With my economics skills, I could probably even help with the basic financing of this project. Geez, just talking about this gets me all excited. Hope to talk to you soon.