Ben & Jerry’s has been making delicious ice cream since the company was founded by school friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, back in 1978. Their aim is (and always has been!) to make the best possible ice cream, in the nicest possible way.
Ben & Jerry’s is a pioneering ice cream brand claiming the title of many firsts including, introducing the world’s first Fairtrade vanilla ice cream in 2015. Ben & Jerry’s then went on to source Fairtrade ingredients for its ice cream. Fairtrade means farmers get a fair price for the goods they make and helps to tackle the root cause of social injustice in supply chains: poverty.
In 2022, Ben & Jerry’s became the first ice cream company to commit to Tony’s Open Chain which means the cocoa beans that make its chocolate ice cream are fully traceable to provide more justice for cocoa farmers.
The Ben & Jerry’s story began back in 1978, when Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, two school friends with a mutual dislike for gym class and a $5 correspondence course in ice cream-making from Penn State opened their first ice cream scoop shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont.
Ben and Jerry agreed that it was no fun being in business just to earn a living – they wanted to strike the perfect balance of joy and justice by making the world’s most delicious ice cream while using the business to make the world a better place.
Their recipe for success was using a joyful concoction of values-sourced ingredients including fresh Vermont milk, cream and generous portions of, well, whatever chunky, swirly ingredients took their fancy. At the same time, they focused on building awareness and support for the activism causes they felt strongly about.
With iconic flavours such as Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Phish Food and Half Baked, Ben & Jerry’s has built a reputation over the years as a fun-loving company with a unique and creative approach to business.
As pioneers in ice cream innovation, Ben & Jerry’s continues to expand its portfolio of ice cream flavours, including the most recent introduction of its Sundaes range – creamy ice cream topped with a never-before-seen whipped topping and packed full of gooey sauce, chocolatey chunks and more layers than you can shake your spoon at.
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