North Carolina Joining 6 Other States In ‘Ben And Jerry’s’ Boycott

Everybody loves ice cream. Ok, maybe not those of us that are lactose intolerant. Ben and Jerry's has been a popular ice cream brand for years. They also may have got a little too involved in political matters.  Now North Carolina is joining 6 other states in a Ben and Jerry's boycott.

Now it is not that you can't purchase the company's product in North Carolina. But the state is taking the Ben and Jerry's equation out of their pension plans. According to Fox News, North Carolina closed out last year by becoming the most recent state to divest its public employee pension from the corporate parent of Ben & Jerry’s over the ice cream company’s boycott of Israel. A couple of years ago, Ben & Jerry’s said it would no longer sell its product to Israelis in the West Bank.

The six other states to no longer offer their retirement funds over Ben & Jerry’s boycott include Arizona, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. These 6 states lean in both directions when it comes to voting and political stances.

North Carolina passed a law in 2017 that prohibits "the North Carolina Retirement Systems or the Department of State Treasurer from investing in any company engaged in a boycott of Israel."

The state has now withdrawn over 40 million of investments in Ben and Jerry's and affiliates. This pension plan covers many employees of the state. This includes teachers, firefighters, police officers, and government employees.

It's not summer without dipping into some ice cream. My go-to flavor is any form of cake batter/birthday cake with sprinkles in a waffle cone. Yes, you could describe that order as one of a 5-year-old, but it's still delicious! I don't go for ice cream too often, but I do love to grab a cone when I'm on vacation especially. And there is no shortage of ice cream shops in Charlotte or the rest of North Carolina. It seems especially at the beach there is one on every corner. And with well-known chains and locally owned options it can be hard to know what to choose. That's why Yelp has created a list of the top 100 ice cream shops nationwide. And 5 North Carolina Ice Cream shops made the list.

All are locally owned spots, with one or just a few locations in an area. Additionally, 2 South Carolina shops made the list as well. Below you'll find all 6 of the Carolina ice cream shops that received this recognition. Proceed with caution though, you'll be craving a scoop of delicious ice cream soon. No matter what flavor ranks the best for you, one of these places is sure to have what you crave.

Methodology according to Yelp, "This is a list of the Top Ice Cream Shops in the US and Canada in 2023, according to Yelp. We identified businesses in the ice cream category, then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews between January 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023. This list looked at businesses in the US and Canada. All businesses were marked open on Yelp as of May 1, 2023. When available, all businesses on this list have a passing health score as of May 1, 2023."

View the full article here. Keep reading to see Yelp's Be North Carolina and South Carolina ice cream shops.

Address: 3408 S Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head, NC 27959

Surfin' Spoons is a local, family owned soft-serve ice cream spot in Nags Head. They have 10 flavors of soft serve, gelato, sorbet, and an almond milk flavor. They also have around 50 topping to choose from or you can get an ice cream sandwich! The menu rotates weekly, but at the time of publishing some flavors available are sea salt caramel, chocolate-covered almond swirl, and chillin' cheesecake.

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Address: 116 Kilmayne Drive Cary NC 27511

Sugar Koi is the type of ice cream parlor owner Kai grew up visiting in Thailand. On Sugar Koi's menu, you'll find "fresh, unique, and delicious cones as well as specially crafted ice cream flavors". Flavors include your typical vanilla bean, chocolate, and strawberry. But also matcha green tea, brown butter bourbon turtle, and Thai tea among others.

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Address: 3712 Old Battleground Rd, Greensboro, NC

Ozzie's is a family-owned Greensboro ice cream shop that self proclaims as the Triad's best ice cream, and Yelp's list doesn't dispute that claim. Not only can you get delicious ice cream but also floats, banana splits, milkshakes, malts, and my personal favorite homemade waffle cones.

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Address: 2500 N Kings Hwy & 6101 N Kings Hwy, Myrtle Beach SC

With two locations, Kirk's offers 40 Flavors in cones & cups. Like any good ice cream shop they also serve milkshakes & malts, sundaes, banana splits, as well as sodas & floats. They are only open seasonally though but you can stay up to date on their Facebook page.

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Address: 1127 Military Cutoff Rd. Wilmington, NC 28405, 1005 N. 4th St. Wilmington, NC 28401, 15919 HWY 17N Hampstead, NC 28443

A Wilmington couple decided to buy an ice cream shop and have since grown it to three locations in the area. Not only can you walk in and get delicious scoops of flavors like key lime pie, birthday cake, chocolate chip cookie dough, and chocolate cream pie, you can also buy the ice cream by the pint!

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Address: 204 Main Street North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 29582

"Craft ice cream just steps away from the beach" is what you'll find at Melt, the Grand Strand ice cream shop that opened in 2017. It's not just accolades from Yelp either, Melt was voted South Carolina's best ice cream by Food & Wine. Flavors rotate but include seasonal options like Pina Colada, Biscotti, and of course chocolate.

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Address: 10120 Green Level Church Rd, #208 Cary, NC 27519, 1008 Ryan Road, Cary, NC 27511

Andia's has two locations in Cary with a third opening soon in Raleigh. They have their signature flavors year round which include cake batter, baklava, oreo latte, and more. They also have 6 rotating flavors monthly, so you can get your favorite or try something new.

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