BURLINGTON, VT, April 19, 2004 - Ben & Jerry's is making ice cream lovers an offer they can't refuse - free ice cream, free music, and the opportunity to have a voice in the next presidential election. On Tuesday, April 27th, from noon to 8:00 p.m., in Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops across the country and around the world, ice cream lovers can enjoy a free cup or cone of their favorite flavor all day long

And as if getting free ice cream wasn't cool enough, this year Ben & Jerry's is adding a new twist to Free Cone Day that they're calling "ETOV - Turn it around!" Through a partnership with Rock the Vote, ice cream lovers can register to vote in their local Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops. Still want more? Ben & Jerry's is also offering an exciting sweepstakes and free song download offer, and encouraging voters to take an online "Oath to Vote" at www.benjerry.com.

Entrants can register for a chance to win a sweepstakes with the Grand Prize of an Apple iPod™, Apple iMac® and a trip to Vermont to spend a day as an honorary Ben & Jerry's Flavor Guru to create a batch of their own personal flavor. The first 50,000 entrants (on Free Cone Day or anytime after…until they run out!) will receive a special code entitling them to a free song download from the Apple iTunes® Music Store (redeemable only in the United States).

As the first initiative in their partnership with Rock the Vote, Ben & Jerry's created Primary Berry Graham - a delicious new flavor to support both organizations' goals to register young people to vote, educate them on the issues and mobilize them to turn out at the polls. The euphoric flavor features strawberry cheesecake ice cream with strawberries and a thick graham cracker swirl.

"Ben & Jerry's is committed to generating positive social change and we love using ice cream to bring people together and raise awareness of issues that are important for our communities," said Walt Freese, Chief Marketing Officer, Ben & Jerry's. "Partnering with Rock the Vote to register voters and with Apple to give away free music downloads are effective ways to reach young voters and let them know how important it is to vote."

"We're very excited to be in Ben & Jerry's scoop shops on Free Cone Day registering new voters," said Jehmu Greene, president of Rock the Vote. "The 2000 presidential election was decided by fewer than 1,000 votes, so this election year, everyone knows how important it is to get to the polls on November 2. We expect to mobilize more than 2,000 volunteers to register voters at various Ben & Jerry's scoop shops nationwide."

Following Free Cone Day, Ben & Jerry's and Rock the Vote will be partnering to register voters in various Scoop Shops on several additional dates including, May 8, June 12, July 10, August 14 and September 11, from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Every Vote Counts
Voter turnout in American presidential elections has been on a downward spiral for four decades. From a high of 62.8% participation in 1960, the percentage of eligible voters who actually voted dropped to below 50% in 1996. In 2000, in the most closely contested presidential election in history, only 51% of all eligible voters turned out. Young people, aged 18 to 24, voted in even lower numbers: only 32% of them voted in 2000, a year in which a small number of votes could have changed the outcome.

The Scoop on Free Cone Day
Stop by one of the more than 230 participating Ben & Jerry's scoop shops in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Korea, Hong Kong, Belgium, Ireland, The Netherlands, Israel and France on Tuesday, April 27th between 12:00 noon and 8:00 p.m. for a free cone or cup. On Free Cone Day, Ben & Jerry's fans can get in line as many times as they want, and the line moves quickly because there's no money changing hands. Last year the scoop shops gave away more than 1 million free cones worldwide!

To take the Oath to Vote and get your free music download (one song download per person), or to find the scoop shop nearest you, log on to www.benjerry.com. Free song codes will be available until all codes have been distributed according to the Official Rules. No purchase is necessary to enter the sweepstakes. Void where prohibited. The sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the Continental United States and District of Columbia, age 18 and older. The sweepstakes begins April 26, 2004 at 12:01 a.m. Central Time and ends October 31, 2004 at 11:59:59 p.m. Central Time. For a copy of the complete Official Rules, visit www.benjerry.com.

Cool Facts About Free Cone Day
The folks at Ben & Jerry's expect to thank more than 1 million customers with free cones on Tuesday, April 27th. Just how big is Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day tradition? Offering generous 4 oz. scoops (measuring approximately three inches across), one million scoops equals 250,000 pounds or 125 tons. That's more than 34 hippopotamuses! In length, one million scoops is 3 million inches or 250,000 feet.

New York- Empire State Building: 1,250 feet tall
All of the Free Cone Day scoops piled one on top of the other would scrape the sky at 250,000 feet, 200 times higher than the Empire State Building.

San Francisco - Golden Gate Bridge: 4,200 feet long
Free scoops laid side by side would cross the Golden Gate Bridge more than 59 times.

The Pacific Ocean's Deepest Point: 36,160 feet deep
The deepest point in the Pacific Ocean is believed to be the Marianas Trench at approximately 36,160 feet deep. An ocean of free scoops would be almost 7 times deeper!

About Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's produces a wide variety of super-premium ice cream and ice cream novelties, using dairy products from a Vermont dairy cooperative and high-quality ingredients. The company is committed to using milk and cream that have not been treated with the synthetic hormone rBGH, and states its position on rBGH on its labels. Ben and Jerry's products are distributed nationwide and in selected foreign countries in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, franchise Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops, restaurants and other venues.

Ben & Jerry's, a wholly-owned autonomous subsidiary of Unilever, operates its business on a three-part mission statement emphasizing product quality, economic reward and a commitment to the community. Ben & Jerry's contributes a minimum of $1.1 million annually through corporate philanthropy that is primarily employee led. Contributions made via the Ben & Jerry's Foundation in 2001 totaled over $1.4 million. Additionally, the company makes significant product donations to community groups and nonprofits both in Vermont and across the nation. The purpose of Ben & Jerry's philanthropy is to support the founding values of the company: economic and social justice, environmental restoration and peace through understanding, and to support our Vermont communities. For the full scoop on all Ben & Jerry's fabulous flavors, visit www.benjerry.com.

About Rock the Vote
Founded in 1990 by members of the recording industry, Rock the Vote is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to protecting freedom of expression and empowering young people to change their world. Over the past decade, Rock the Vote has called on young people to recognize their role in creating significant political and social change. In addition to registering over three million new young voters, Rock the Vote street teams are engaging young people as civic activists in their communities and contributors to the political process. These street teams have organized, educated and registered voters at thousands of concerts, community festivals, college campuses, pride events and coffee shops across the nation.