Grooveberries, a frozen yogurt shop in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, is facing considerable backlash for its way of honoring the late CEO of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk through placing his image on cups.
Chase and Sarah Gibson are a married couple who own Grooveberries. They are both passionate about their Christian faith. According to The Spokesman Review, they discussed the background of the cups, which feature a sticker with Kirk’s image on it, and why they were created and made for customer use.
“Before Charlie’s death, we were already trying to Christianity… I think some people were receiving it, while others were not,”Chase Gibson said. “We’re not trying to be pushy with Charlie. It’s just that’s who we support, and if people don’t like it, that’s OK.”
Sarah Gibson wanted to find a way to honor Kirk in their business, including the creation of Kirk-themed merchandise.
“It was as simple as just a sticker with his name and his birth year to death year, just as a memoriam,” she continued. “Then we kind of evolved from there and started putting Bible verses on some of the stickers. We started selling stickers, some hoodies, shirts, stuff like that too, just because we got so many people wanting to participate in keeping his legacy alive.”
According to The Review, “25% of the proceeds from Kirk froyo cups to Turning Point USA until Kirk’s birthday on Oct. 14.”
“It’s only right,” Sarah Gibson told The Review. “There’s a lot that goes into running a business, and it wouldn’t be right for us to just take all the proceeds. A certain percent needs to go to the right initiative that we’re supporting. … We’re going to stand for what we know is true and trust God from there.”
Along with criticism of this initiative, the Gibsons have received death threats on the internet and at their shop. Police have been notified amid these threats.
“I don’t like fascism mixed in my yogurt,” one customer posted in a review of the shop, according to Fox News.
Despite backlash, the shop has received an increase in foot traffic and sales, according to an interview with Seattle Red.
Grooveberries also has a frozen yogurt flavor named after Kirk, titled “Charlie Kirk’s Mint Chocolate Chip.”
