Meet the founders of Ben & Jerry's, who started their company in a converted gas station and built it up into an ice cream empire that brought in almost $682 million in sales in the US in 2019

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Joey HaddenJun 14, 2020, 19:53 IST
Meet the founders of Ben & Jerry's, who started their company in a converted gas station and built it up into an ice cream empire that brought in almost $682 million in sales in the US in 2019

Samantha Lee/Business Insider

  • Ben & Jerry's, an ice cream company, released a statement on June 3 expressing outrage over the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police, stating "we must dismantle white supremacy."
  • The company has frequently used its platform to support issues like racial equality, climate change, and voting rights.
  • The cofounders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, started the company out of a renovated gas station in Vermont in the 1970s.
  • Separate from the company, Cohen and Greenfield have a history of supporting social causes.

Ben & Jerry's is widely known for its beloved ice cream and for its catchy, pop-culture-riffing flavor names, from "Netflix & Chill'd" to "Americone Dream."

The Vermont-founded company also has a history of social activism. On June 3, the company released a statement titled "we must dismantle white supremacy." The lengthy post touched on the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and called on elected leaders for legislative changes.

Laura Peterson, Public "Elations" Manager of Ben & Jerry's in North America, told Business Insider that the statement was an effort led by company employees and while the cofounders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, were not involved in writing it, they did like it.

This isn't the first time the company has used its platform to speak out on issues.

Here is a look at how the ice cream empire came to be and the men behind it.

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Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the cofounders of Ben & Jerry's, met in middle school in Long Island, New York.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the cofounders of Ben & Jerry's, met in middle school in Long Island, New York.
A street in Long Island, New York. Business Insider/Jessica Tyler

Cohen told the Washington Post in 2014 that he and Greenfield met when Greenfield passed out in gym class.

In an Independent story from 1995, Greenfield shared that he and Cohen come from similar backgrounds. Greenfield's father was a stockbroker, while Cohen's was an accountant. He added that he follows rules while Cohen has been known to break them.

Greenfield went to Oberlin College in Ohio and studied pre-med. Cohen went to college in upstate New York but dropped out in 1972.

Greenfield moved in with Cohen in New York after graduating from college.

Cohen and Greenfield wanted to open a bagel shop, but the equipment was too expensive. Instead, they opened an ice cream shop in Burlington, Vermont, in 1978.

Cohen and Greenfield wanted to open a bagel shop, but the equipment was too expensive. Instead, they opened an ice cream shop in Burlington, Vermont, in 1978.
Greenfield and Cohen at their ice cream stand in Burlington, Vermont. Photo by Ted Dully/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Moving away from their plans to open a bagel shop together, Cohen and Greenfield decided to attend a $5 ice cream making course at Pennsylvania State University in 1978.

That May, the duo opened their first ice cream shop in a converted gas station in Burlington, Vermont. Each pitched in $4,000, and they got an additional $4,000 bank loan to do so, as Time's Merrill Farby wrote in 2018.

They also sold other food items like crêpes and soup towards the beginning. By the following year, ice cream was the only thing on their menu.

Cohen told the New York Times in 1994 that since he has a poor sense of smell and taste, Greenfield made the flavors, and he tasted them blindly. The goal was to make flavors intense enough for Cohen to taste with his eyes closed.

"Because of this disability, I have an excellent sense of mouthfeel. Creaminess and crunchiness are very important to people who can't taste," Cohen added.

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By 1980, they were selling pints in grocery stores.

By 1980, they were selling pints in grocery stores.
A yellow sale tag. Irene Jiang / Business Insider

In 1980, Ben & Jerry's expanded to grocery stores when Cohen and Greenfield started packing their ice cream into pint-sized containers. Seven years later, the company had grown to become worth $30 million.

The first flavor they experimented with was vanilla, according to the company website.

"Cherry Garcia" is one of the ice cream empire's oldest flavors. Named after Grateful Dead vocalist and lead guitarist Jerry Garcia in 1987, it features generous portions of cherries and fudge. The flavor was the second-most sold Ben & Jerry's pint of 2019.

Ben & Jerry's has collaborated on flavors with famous entertainers like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, and Dave Matthews Band.

Since at least 2014 the company has published annual flavor rankings on its site. The flavor "Half Baked" has been a long-time winner. It combines chocolate and vanilla ice cream with chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough and fudge brownies.

Ben & Jerry's was the top-selling ice cream brand of 2019, per Statista.

Ben & Jerry's was the top-selling ice cream brand of 2019, per Statista.
Patrick McMullan/Getty Images

Ben & Jerry's now has 219 scoop shops across the country. The brand brought in almost $682 million in sales in 2019, according to Statista.

The company has around 600 employees across 38 countries.

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While expanding its business, the company was also getting steadily involved with social issues and charitable causes.

While expanding its business, the company was also getting steadily involved with social issues and charitable causes.
Ben & Jerry's made Baked Alaska for a protest in Washington, DC, against drilling for oil in the Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on April 22, 2005. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The history of the company's involvement in social causes stretches back decades. In 1992, the ice cream company helped the Children's Defense Fund, a national non-profit, send 70,000 postcards to Congress about prioritizing children's basic needs.

In 1999, Ben & Jerry's raised money for Childline, a kid's counseling service in the U.K.

In 2004, Ben & Jerry's worked with Rock the Vote to register 11,000 voters.

The company teamed up with Greenpeace and Alaska Wilderness League in 2005 to protest oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Two years later, the company protested the FDA's declaration that cloned animals are safe to milk and eat.

During Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in 2011, Ben & Jerry's released a statement in solidarity with protesters and distributed ice cream to protesters in Zuccotti Park.

In 2016, the company released a statement called "Why Black Lives Matter" calling out systemic racism.

Laura Peterson, Ben & Jerry's Public "Elations" Manager, told Business Insider that Greenfield and Cohen like to support the company's social mission activities and sometimes they make appearances at events.

In 1994, Cohen stepped down from his role as CEO. Six years later, the Dutch multinational conglomerate Unilever bought Ben & Jerry's.

In 1994, Cohen stepped down from his role as CEO. Six years later, the Dutch multinational conglomerate Unilever bought Ben & Jerry's.
Unilever headquarters in Rotterdam. Reuters

In 1994, Cohen, who was the company's first CEO, stepped down from the role. The New York Times reported that the company brought in about $150 million a year selling ice cream at the time.

Unilever bought Ben & Jerry's for $326 million in 2000, the Washington Post reported. The company didn't cut any jobs.

Cohen and Greenfield remained employees of the company, and Cohen remained on the board of directors, according to Dairy Network.

''While I would have preferred for Ben & Jerry's to remain independent, I'm excited about this next chapter,'' Cohen said in a statement published in the NYT. His statement also included lyrics from a Grateful Dead song.

Ben & Jerry's told CNN Business that when Unilever bought the ice cream company in 2000, it didn't affect the company's voice in social issues. At the time, Unilever committed to creating a $5 million fund to help minority-owned businesses and poor neighborhoods.

Peterson told Business Insider that as of June 2020, Cohen and Greenfield are still Ben & Jerry's employees. While they have no daily managerial responsibilities, they work on company projects that they choose.

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Through decades of working together, the duo has managed to maintain a close friendship. Cohen and Greenfield shared a glimpse into their relationship in a 2015 Reddit Ask Me Anything.

Through decades of working together, the duo has managed to maintain a close friendship. Cohen and Greenfield shared a glimpse into their relationship in a 2015 Reddit Ask Me Anything.
Cohen and Greenfield during a press conference in 2005. Scott Gries/Getty Images

In a Reddit AMA in 2015, Cohen and Greenfield answered questions about their company and relationship.

Greenfield said that both he and Cohen believe "business should be using its power to help address social and environmental issues, and not just making money." That belief, Greenfield says, helped define the mission of the company.

Greenfield added that Cohen bond over their love for food.

At the same time, the duo shared, they have very different strengths. Greenfield says Cohen is more creative and spontaneous, while Cohen says Greenfield is more diplomatic.

Cohen and Greenfield also personally have a history of supporting social justice movements.

Cohen and Greenfield also personally have a history of supporting social justice movements.
Greenfield and Cohen join about 20 people sitting in front of the White House as part a rally demonstrating climate change awareness in 2019. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

In 2016, both Cohen and Greenfield were arrested amid "Democracy Awakening" protests in Washington, DC, aimed at protecting voter's rights, among other issues, per a police report on CNN.

In a statement about the arrest, the company said, "if you care about something, you have to be willing to risk it all—your reputation, your values, your business—for the greater good."

Cohen was arrested while demonstrating against bringing F-35 fighter planes to the air force base in Burlington, Vermont, in 2018, Lt. Matthew Sullivan, a police officer told USA Today. Peterson told Business Insider that Cohen's arrest had nothing to do with the company and that he attended the protest as a private citizen.

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The company is currently helmed by CEO Matthew McCarthy. In a previous conversation with Business Insider's Richard Feloni, McCarthy said that the company's decision to take a stance on social justice issues has helped build and boost its brand.

The company is currently helmed by CEO Matthew McCarthy. In a previous conversation with Business Insider's Richard Feloni, McCarthy said that the company's decision to take a stance on social justice issues has helped build and boost its brand.
Matthew McCarthy is the CEO of Ben & Jerry's. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

McCarthy said Ben & Jerry's takes its social mission seriously, explicitly stating its values and taking actions according to them.

What sets Ben & Jerry's apart, McCarthy says, is that it was built on explicitly stated values genuinely felt by its founders and employees.

McCarthy added that consumers and employees will likely not believe you if you take an insincere route to issue alignment.

Over the decades, the company has released ice cream flavors like "Save Our Swirled" and "Justice Remix'd" that lean into social issues they value.

Over the decades, the company has released ice cream flavors like "Save Our Swirled" and "Justice Remix'd" that lean into social issues they value.
Cohen and Greenfield announce a new flavor, Justice Remix'd, during a press conference in 2019 Win McNamee/Getty Images

In 2015, Ben & Jerrys released "Save Our Swirled," a flavor dedicated to climate change awareness, and it renamed their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor "I Dough, I Dough" to celebrate the legalization of same-sex marriage.

"Back in 1989, we were the first company in Vermont to offer full benefits to same-sex partners of our employees," Ben & Jerry's said in a statement about the change.

In 2018, the company came out with "Pecan Resist" an ice cream flavor dedicated to resisting the "discriminatory policies" of President Donald Trump's administration.

In September 2019, the ice cream empire came out with a flavor dedicated to addressing racial inequity called "Justice Remix'd."

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Most recently, Ben & Jerry's released a statement called "Silence is NOT an option" in response to the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police department.

Most recently, Ben & Jerry's released a statement called "Silence is NOT an option" in response to the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police department.
A person walks past Ben & Jerry's on May 11, 2020, in New York City. Rob Kim/Getty Images

Ben & Jerry's response to the killing of George Floyd includes a clear description of how Floyd died and calls on Trump to denounce white supremacy.

It also details H.R. 40, a house bill that if passed, would create a commission to study the effects of slavery and discrimination on African Americans and come up with recommendations for making amends.

The statement supports the family of George Floyd's request for a national task force that prioritizes ending racial violence and holding police accountable.

Lastly, it calls on the Department of Justice to better defend the rights of Black people and other people of color.

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