Sure, Noah Kahan has been nominated for Grammys and Billboard Music Awards, played sold-out shows from coast-to-coast and scored his first Adult Pop Airplay chart No. 1 in May with his breakthrough hit “Stick Season.”
But the Vermont native won the most important award of all this week when Ben & Jerry’s rolled out a custom flavor in his honor. Even super-mellow strummer Kahan could not contain his chill about the Green Mountain State’s equivalent of a lifetime achievement award.
“F–king pinch me,” Kahan tweeted on Thursday night (Sept. 19) after the announcement from the Burlington, VT-bred ice cream brand of their new limited “Northern Latte-tude” flavor. The fresh mix inspired by Kahan’s 2022 song “Northern Attitude” features a maple latte ice cream with graham cracker cookie dough and graham cracker pieces.
The special mix was created specifically for Thursday night’s (Sept. 19) sold-out show at the Champlain Valley Fairgrounds in Essex Junction, VT, a benefit gig with proceeds going to the singer’s non-profit, the Busyhead Project, which provides resources and information to help end the stigma around mental health.
“We were more than excited to partner with Noah Kahan to create this flavor,” said Ben & Jerry’s head of brand innovation Emily Smith in a statement. “With Noah being from Vermont and establishing his non-profit The Busyhead Project to support such an important issue that he cares deeply about, we saw tons of fan gratitude for Noah’s Latte-tude, all while doing good.”
The flavor will now be available for a limited time on Friday (Sept. 20) at B&J scoop shops in Burlington and Waterbury, VT while supplies last. In honor of the concert, VT Gov. Phil Scott proclaimed Thursday “Noah Kahan’s Busyhead Project Day” in honor of the singer’s efforts to speak out about mental health; Kahan, 27, has frequently discussed his own struggles with panic attacks and episodes of depression and anxiety as a child and teen, which he has chronicled on songs such as “Call Your Mom.”
“It is the most tremendous honor to have September 19th be named Noah Kahan’s Busyhead Project Day in the greatest state in America. I will celebrate by eating Ben & Jerry’s, getting a horrific stomach ache from my lactose intolerance, and then drinking a Heady Topper as the sun sets over the Green Mountains,” said Kahan in a statement shared by the Governor’s office. “I have been so fortunate to call this place my home, and I will never forget the love and support that the 802 has showed me. There is no combination of words, lyrics, or music that can fully describe the beauty of this place. I will not try to. I am just honored to be able to live here, to breathe the air, to exist in this magical place, and to call it my home. Thank you Vermont for this great honor.”
Since its launch in 2023, the Busyhead Project has raised more than $2.5 million in its drive to make mental healthcare accessible to all.