Häagen-Dazs Celebrates Trailblazing Women Across the World

The Häagen-Dazs Rose Project

In 2023, Häagen-Dazs launched The Rose Project on International Women’s Day as a heartfelt global initiative to support women at all levels, in honor of Rose Mattus, the inspirational yet unsung co-founder of Häagen-Dazs.

While her husband, Reuben, is widely celebrated for making Häagen-Dazs ice cream, it was Rose who broke glass ceilings with her pioneering marketing approach and business knowledge to shape Häagen-Dazs into the brand that everyone knows and loves today.

The Häagen-Dazs Rose Project honors her legacy by pledging a bursary grant of $100,000 to support trailblazing ‘Women Who Don’t Hold Back.’

Ahead of this year’s International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024, Häagen-Dazs is delighted to reveal the five extraordinary winners of The Rose Project Class of 2023.

From over 2,500 nominations across 27 different countries, the five Rose Project winners were chosen for their pioneering efforts and societal contributions by a stellar all-female judging panel from around the globe.

• Eunice Maia opened the doors to her organic bulk grocery store, Maria Granel, in Lisbon in 2015. Her awareness of the global issues facing food systems and passion for healthy and sustainable food consumption drives the business, as she encourages consumers in the store to engage with the products they are buying and the food they are eating. Eunice has since set up an environmental education program and is committed to expanding awareness of sustainability practices at home, in the workplace and in the community.
• Jennifer Seifert spearheaded a movement in Mexico to protect women and children against coercive control and post-separation abuse. Her grassroots project, born from sharing an intimate personal experience, quickly grew into a national movement to support women facing violence through a 24/7 access portal and legislative change. Jennifer’s initiatives have been approved in 25 of 32 Mexican states and she is an international example of providing meaningful change to the everyday lives of women.
• Karol Ivanna Aceves Flores is a force for change in the sexual education space in Mexico. Realizing the extent of sexual misinformation, she set up Mi’Kobol, which focuses on providing a safe space for young people to learn and engage with sex education. Karol’s initiative has informed over 2,000 10-to-24-year-olds, and she continues to pioneer workshops and events to expand knowledge about the topic.
• Sarah Kandolo co-founded the #TalkAboutHer project, where she drew strength from the rich legacy of authentic African female leaders and embarked upon a journey to encourage and celebrate leadership roles among African women. Sarah empowered young people within their communities and captured the untold story of female leaders in African countries. She plans to expand the initiative to highlight the critical role African women play in the long-term viability of communities.
• Yarett Piñeiro founded ASLES (Advancement in Sign Language Education and Services), a company which emerged from her experience as a deaf woman and her passion to fight for the equality and rights of the deaf community in Puerto Rico. Through ASLES, Yarett provides life changing sign language education and interpretation courses, working with individuals and families to facilitate communication between deaf and hearing individuals.

The Class of 2023 winners will each receive an equal share of the $100,000 bursary grant to help them continue their exceptional work, unleash their potential, or give to a cause they’re passionate about.

Nominations are now open for The Rose Project Class of 2024! We encourage everyone across the globe to nominate themselves or another unsung woman who deserves recognition for their trailblazing efforts, achievements or societal contributions. Nominations can be submitted until July 31, 2024 at https://iwd.haagen-dazs.global/.

In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8th, Häagen-Dazs will again offer a free scoop of its ‘Founder’s Favorite’ Vanilla ice cream to honor Rose Mattus’ favorite flavor. The free scoop giveaway will be available in select Häagen-Dazs Shops across Asia, Europe, Latin America and South Africa.

But the celebrations do not stop there, Häagen-Dazs intends to build upon their global commitment to empower and support women at all levels through limited-edition launches of Rose Project Vanilla Pints and Minicup Collections with a portion of International Shop proceeds benefiting women-centric charities across Asia and Europe.

“We hope that Rose Mattus’ story and this year’s incredible winners inspire other talented and unsung women to share their own story and also put others forward in this year’s nominations,” said Aurélie Lory, Global Managing Director, Häagen-Dazs Shops and Rose Project jury member. “The Rose Project and our extended global celebrations this year are an important part of our long-term commitment to supporting the growth of women across the globe at all levels, well beyond International Women’s Day.”

For more information on The Rose Project winners, charity partners and for further details on how to nominate someone for The Class of 2024, visit https://iwd.haagen-dazs.global/ or follow along via Instagram @haagendazs_roseproject.