Ben & Jerry's

       Vermont is home to beautiful expansive views and an abundance of activities for families, hikers and adventurers. One of Vermon's prized delicacies though is the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory. Originating in Burlington, Vermont, it's first home was an old gas station building in May of 1978.  The owners Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield used an old-fashioned ice cream freezer and began to churn out the infamous flavors of Ben & Jerry.  They loaded the rich and creamy base flavors with their favorite fruits, nuts, candies and cookies.  They became so popular that the company expanded from the old gas station to be sold at local restaurants and grocery stores throughout Vermont and since has expanded even farther.

        Over the years many things have changed and they have overcome many milestones along the way.  To celebrate their one-year anniversary they had their first-ever Free Cone Day in 1979.  Free Cone Day continues to be an annual tradition in scoop shops around the world.  In 1980 for the first time they began to package ice cream in pints for easier distribution.   In 1981 the first franchised Ben & Jerry's scoop shop opened in Shelburne, Vermont. In 1983 their ice cream was used to build the "world's largest ice cream sundae" in St. Albans, Vermont which weighed 27,102 pounds.  In 1985, the Ben & Jerry's Foundation was established to fund community-oriented projects.  In 1987, the first flavor ever to be named after a rock legend was created from the idea of two men in Portland, Maine.  The flavor was named Cherry Garcia after the Grateful Dead guitarist, Jerry Garcia.  In 1988, Ben and Jerry were named "Small Business Persons of the Year" by President Reagan in a White House garden ceremony.  In 1993, Wavy Gravy influenced new flavors inspired by the 1960's Woodstock festival.  In 1996, Ben & Jerry's introduced new non fat, non cholesterol and non lactose sorbets made with pure spring water and natural fruit flavorings.  Over the next few years they established many more flavors with famous inspirations as well as increasing their involvement in fair trade and partnered with many influential groups and campaigns to ignite change.  Their involvement in not only the local community but the national community represents their dynamic interests and ideals.  Not only are they providing the world with sensational ice cream flavors but they are encouraging youth to vote, campaigning the fight against global warming, protesting oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and much more.
      One particularly exciting part of the Ben & Jerry's franchise is the opportunity to tour the factory. The guided tours teach the production process as well as the incorporation of their mission statement into all aspects of the factory happenings.  You get a glimpse of the manufacturing process as well as a movie sharing the history of Ben & Jerry's as well as tasting the sample flavor of the day. 

 

Resources:

http://www.benjerry.com/