‘I Hate the French Vanilla,’ other flavors available in Baltimore Co.

Is Sweet Annie still sweet when she sells politically charged ice cream?

Who knows — the owner of the Lutherville gift and candy shop doesn’t want to talk politics.

“I don’t want to get involved in the politics of it,” store owner Linda Secor said of selling Star Spangled Ice Cream, which includes the flavors “I Hate the French Vanilla,” “Iraqi Road,” “Nutty Environmentalist” and “Smaller Govern-mint.”

Sweet Annie, at 1421 York Road, has become the first retail location anywhere to sell Star Spangled Ice Cream, originally a Web-based startup that launched its product less than one month ago.

Their products — four ice cream flavors made by Baltimore’s Moxley’s Ice Cream — are meant to appeal to politically conservative consumers and include such marketing slogans as “the anti-Ben & Jerry’s” and “conservative alternative to leftwing wacko ice cream.”

Vermont-based Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream gives more than $1.1 million a year to projects addressing social, economic and environmental justice issues.

“We’ve received a couple hundred thousand hits on the Web site. We’re receiving orders steadily,” said Star Spangled Ice Cream Vice President Richard Lessner, who works full-time at a Washington public policy group.

A four-pack of Star Spangled ice cream sells for $76, including shipping — “the perfect gift for ice cream loving conservatives,” the company’s Web site notes. At Sweet Annie, each quart will sell for $7.99, Secor said.

Moxley’s owner Tom Washburn said he and his staff have been “very busy” handling Star Spangled’s mail-order Web business and hope to subcontract more in the future.

“That was the whole purpose of us doing this — that we have the facilities to help other people,” he said. “We hope this is the first of many customers.”

Since Star Spangled’s debut, Lessner; President Andrew Stein, a New Jersey lawyer; and CEO Frank Cannon, who works for a Washington consulting firm, have been busy granting interviews from San Francisco to Chicago.

“We’ve gotten tons of press attention,” Lessner said on Friday. “Sales are steady and growing. We’re encouraged.”

Ten percent of sales go to charities supporting members of the U.S. armed forces.

It’s one of the reasons why Secor said she wanted to support Star Spangled Ice Cream.

“It’s just not a big deal to me,” she said of the politically potent ice cream. “And who’s going to say anything against part of the proceeds going to charity? It’s just like, ‘Lighten up.’ I’m happy to just help Moxley’s out.”