A Calgary company that launched a Black Lives Matter gelato Friday is apologizing and pulling the product after receiving backlash about what some are calling a tone-deaf decision.
Righteous Gelato introduced the chocolate mint chip BLM gelato, saying that $5 from each $12 pint would support “efforts to combat systemic racism and advocate for racialized and marginalized communities.”
The product featured art by a white person, showing three people carrying BLM signs and wearing masks that said, “I can’t breathe.” Its profits were earmarked for ActionDignity, which is not affiliated with BLM.
Reaction poured in on social media, with many saying the company was commodifying the BLM movement.
Leaders in the Black community said the screw-up could have been avoided with a simple conversation.
Kay L with BLM Calgary questioned if the product was real, calling it tasteless.
“I was actually really, really shocked when I saw it. I didn’t think that someone or a company that big would be that tone-deaf, especially in this climate right now,” he said.
“People have died behind this movement. A lot of blood was shed behind this movement. A lot of people went to jail behind this movement. We’re not going to let nobody just jump on the bandwagon and try to profit off of what’s going on. That’s what I felt they were doing.”
L said the people behind the product may have had the right intentions but missed the mark completely.
“For future reference — if any other company, not just them — if you’re trying to do something in that light, reach out to the Black Lives Matter organization or another organization that’s fighting for freedom and see if they are OK with what you’re trying to do. If not, take a different marketing route,” he said.
“There [are] 100 different ways they could have went about it but they definitely picked the wrong one.”
Company says ‘you are right’
Righteous Gelato said it had the “intention of standing in solidarity and donating more than 100 per cent of our profits in the process to organizations that support inclusion and diversity.”
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“While our intentions were from a place of love, we truly failed and we are wholeheartedly sorry,” said CEO James Boettcher on Saturday.
He said the company is listening to feedback, adding it stands against racism.
“You are right, we need to include more organizations doing specific work with the Black community and we will. You are right, we need to be leaders in education and are committed to working diligently with the BIPOC community so that we can make a bigger and more accurate impact in our city,” he said.
“You are right, in choosing to work with a friend and community builder, we could have chosen a Black artist, so we will. There is a need to highlight the great work of those who are underrepresented. You are right, chocolate as a flavour choice was ignorant. We can and we will put more thought into this in the future.”
Thank you for being patient. Late last night after listening and learning we decided to take down our post and our gelato. We failed and we are committed to making it right. Please read our full statement and let us know how you feel and help us grow. pic.twitter.com/hVLlFTY3Hu
Mandy Stobo, the artist from Bad Portraits who approved her art for the BLM product, posted her apology on Instagram, calling the situation a wake-up call.
“I recognize that I should have declined their ask and instead encouraged them to provide a paid opportunity to a BIPOC artist,” she said, noting that she will do better.
Boettcher said there are no quick fixes for racism and the company’s failures.
“Our company has always stood for doing what’s right and building community, and the events of the last month have given us new perspectives and opened our eyes to areas of the community that we have not yet served, namely the Black community,” he said.
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“We are committed to amplifying the voices, providing more than equal opportunities to Black people and supporting organizations that fight injustice for the Black community.”
Boettcher said Righteous Gelato’s next step is working with Black leaders.
“To fulfill our original goal of raising funds for the Black community, 100 per cent of our profits from our online store for all of June will be invested in organizations that you choose that focus on Black lives,” he said.
“We will also be removing all artwork and labels from those of you that ordered already because it is insensitive and disrespectful.”
‘I’m not ice cream. I’m a human being’
Dooshima Jev, director of Afros In Tha City, an online platform that celebrates Afrocentric culture, initially wasn’t surprised by the campaign — but that settled into frustration.
“When you are talking about advocating for Black children, it’s very important that you have very positive images,” she said.
“What happens in the States is a very traumatizing experience. It’s traumatizing for everybody Black and I believe it’s traumatizing for anybody who has a heart. So to be drawn back to images and to use children with a connotation [to] Bad Portraits is really careless.”
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Jev said it was insensitive to put a dying man’s words on a tub of chocolate gelato.
“I’m not a flavour. I’m not ice cream. I’m a human being,” she said.
“This is blood we’re talking about, OK? Do not attach your products to blood money.”
There are no excuses, Jev said. The company could have reached out to many, including her consultant team.
“This isn’t just about using artists of colour. This is about trying to develop compassion in your mentality about something that you’re not aware of,” she said.
“If you don’t know about something and you want to help something, what do you do? You ask somebody who knows about it, right? It could be your neighbour, it could be your friend. I mean, it could be Google.”
Jev said she doesn’t believe it’s her role to forecast what the company should do next.
“It’s not my job to tell you what I’d like to see. You tell me what you think you should see and we’ll hold you accountable,” she said.
She believes the company was making a stretch to connect BLM with gelato.
“If you sell ice cream, sell ice cream,” she said.
“If you want to feel good about something in your heart and you want to donate money somewhere, look for a cause that’s already doing the work. We don’t need you to be a hero.”
ActionDignity responds
Tyra Erskine with ActionDignity said this is a learning experience for the organization.
“We will continue to build our capacity in anti-Black racism work to support the communities we work with,” she said.
“We stand strong with Black Lives Matter and the change they are fostering in our communities.”
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese technology group SoftBank swung back to profitability in the July-September quarter, boosted by positive results in its Vision Fund investments.
Tokyo-based SoftBank Group Corp. reported Tuesday a fiscal second quarter profit of nearly 1.18 trillion yen ($7.7 billion), compared with a 931 billion yen loss in the year-earlier period.
Quarterly sales edged up about 6% to nearly 1.77 trillion yen ($11.5 billion).
SoftBank credited income from royalties and licensing related to its holdings in Arm, a computer chip-designing company, whose business spans smartphones, data centers, networking equipment, automotive, consumer electronic devices, and AI applications.
The results were also helped by the absence of losses related to SoftBank’s investment in office-space sharing venture WeWork, which hit the previous fiscal year.
WeWork, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023, emerged from Chapter 11 in June.
SoftBank has benefitted in recent months from rising share prices in some investment, such as U.S.-based e-commerce company Coupang, Chinese mobility provider DiDi Global and Bytedance, the Chinese developer of TikTok.
SoftBank’s financial results tend to swing wildly, partly because of its sprawling investment portfolio that includes search engine Yahoo, Chinese retailer Alibaba, and artificial intelligence company Nvidia.
SoftBank makes investments in a variety of companies that it groups together in a series of Vision Funds.
The company’s founder, Masayoshi Son, is a pioneer in technology investment in Japan. SoftBank Group does not give earnings forecasts.
Shopify Inc. executives brushed off concerns that incoming U.S. President Donald Trump will be a major detriment to many of the company’s merchants.
“There’s nothing in what we’ve heard from Trump, nor would there have been anything from (Democratic candidate) Kamala (Harris), which we think impacts the overall state of new business formation and entrepreneurship,” Shopify’s chief financial officer Jeff Hoffmeister told analysts on a call Tuesday.
“We still feel really good about all the merchants out there, all the entrepreneurs that want to start new businesses and that’s obviously not going to change with the administration.”
Hoffmeister’s comments come a week after Trump, a Republican businessman, trounced Harris in an election that will soon return him to the Oval Office.
On the campaign trail, he threatened to impose tariffs of 60 per cent on imports from China and roughly 10 per cent to 20 per cent on goods from all other countries.
If the president-elect makes good on the promise, many worry the cost of operating will soar for companies, including customers of Shopify, which sells e-commerce software to small businesses but also brands as big as Kylie Cosmetics and Victoria’s Secret.
These merchants may feel they have no choice but to pass on the increases to customers, perhaps sparking more inflation.
If Trump’s tariffs do come to fruition, Shopify’s president Harley Finkelstein pointed out China is “not a huge area” for Shopify.
However, “we can’t anticipate what every presidential administration is going to do,” he cautioned.
He likened the uncertainty facing the business community to the COVID-19 pandemic where Shopify had to help companies migrate online.
“Our job is no matter what comes the way of our merchants, we provide them with tools and service and support for them to navigate it really well,” he said.
Finkelstein was questioned about the forthcoming U.S. leadership change on a call meant to delve into Shopify’s latest earnings, which sent shares soaring 27 per cent to $158.63 shortly after Tuesday’s market open.
The Ottawa-based company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, reported US$828 million in net income for its third quarter, up from US$718 million in the same quarter last year, as its revenue rose 26 per cent.
Revenue for the period ended Sept. 30 totalled US$2.16 billion, up from US$1.71 billion a year earlier.
Subscription solutions revenue reached US$610 million, up from US$486 million in the same quarter last year.
Merchant solutions revenue amounted to US$1.55 billion, up from US$1.23 billion.
Shopify’s net income excluding the impact of equity investments totalled US$344 million for the quarter, up from US$173 million in the same quarter last year.
Daniel Chan, a TD Cowen analyst, said the results show Shopify has a leadership position in the e-commerce world and “a continued ability to gain market share.”
In its outlook for its fourth quarter of 2024, the company said it expects revenue to grow at a mid-to-high-twenties percentage rate on a year-over-year basis.
“Q4 guidance suggests Shopify will finish the year strong, with better-than-expected revenue growth and operating margin,” Chan pointed out in a note to investors.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
TORONTO – RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust says it has cut almost 10 per cent of its staff as it deals with a slowdown in the condo market and overall pushes for greater efficiency.
The company says the cuts, which amount to around 60 employees based on its last annual filing, will mean about $9 million in restructuring charges and should translate to about $8 million in annualized cash savings.
The job cuts come as RioCan and others scale back condo development plans as the market softens, but chief executive Jonathan Gitlin says the reductions were from a companywide efficiency effort.
RioCan says it doesn’t plan to start any new construction of mixed-use properties this year and well into 2025 as it adjusts to the shifting market demand.
The company reported a net income of $96.9 million in the third quarter, up from a loss of $73.5 million last year, as it saw a $159 million boost from a favourable change in the fair value of investment properties.
RioCan reported what it says is a record-breaking 97.8 per cent occupancy rate in the quarter including retail committed occupancy of 98.6 per cent.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
