One of America’s favorite chilly treats has officially crossed the border. But the cheery purveyors of Ben & Jerry’s super premium ice cream, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, have no plans to actively promote their product in the Canadian market.

Instead, they’re content to sit back and let their product speak for itself.

Ben & Jerry’s Super Premium Ice Creams and Frozen Yogurts have long been category leaders in the u.s. The company posted net sales of us$174 million in 1997, up from us$167 million in 1996. Flavors such as ‘Cherry Garcia’ and ‘New York Super Fudge Chunk’ have won, according to Greenfield, a 40% share of u.s. supermarket volume. He estimates that share figure to equal that of his top competitor, Häagen-Dazs.

In Canada, Häagen-Dazs, marketed by Nestlé Canada, currently holds a 4% share of an extremely fragmented $17-million super-premium ice cream market, according to Joy Fukushima, category development manager for Häagen-Dazs in the Nestlé ice cream marketing group.

‘It’s small but profitable,’ she says of Häagen-Dazs, adding that the brand has held the No. 1 spot in the category since its introduction to Canada in 1982.

‘We welcome Ben & Jerry’s into Canada because it puts focus on the category. We anticipate that it will grow and retailers will look at it as a means of driving consumers towards what really good quality ice cream is all about.’

Greenfield says that, until recently, Ben & Jerry’s was being shipped into Canada from Vermont on a small scale due to government restrictions that protect the interests of Canadian dairy farmers. A partnership with a company called Delicious Alternative Desserts (dad), in Stoney Creek, Ont., however, has changed the distribution picture.

With newly acquired manufacturing and distribution rights for the Canadian market, dad is rebuilding its Stoney Creek plant to handle the increased demand, according to Rob Harrison, president and ceo of dad.

Ben and Jerry’s is currently being distributed in major grocery chains such as Loblaws and Dominion in Southwestern Ontario, as well as in specialty grocers and convenience stores. Expectations are for a national rollout within six months that will begin in major urban centres.

In the u.s., Ben & Jerry’s promotes its brand primarily thorough sampling programs and sponsorships of charitable events. In Canada, the founders are counting on similar in-store sampling programs and word-of-mouth to secure their share of the Canadian frozen confection market.

Currently, there are no plans for traditional media executions. In-store pop, including posters and freezer cling-vinyl, is being handled by Barry Base & Partners in Toronto. Base says there is no formal media plan in the works at this time.