Ben & Jerry’s

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, two elementary school friends who dreamed of owning an ice cream company, took a correspondence course in ice cream-making from Penn State University and then invested $12,000 to turn a former gas station in South Burlington, Vermont, into a manufacturing plant. Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream and Crêpes opened in South Burlington in 1978. Ben & Jerry’s flavors capitalized on the newly popular concept of “mix-ins,” folding chunks of chocolate, nuts, and the like into various basic flavors. Ben & Jerry’s became a local favorite, and the company began marketing the brand to supermarkets. After receiving an out-of-court settlement from food industry giant Pillsbury (which had, in an attempt to freeze out the newcomer, tried to restrict retailers to one choice in the premium ice cream category, hoping their Häagen-Dazs brand would prevail), Ben & Jerry’s ice cream rose to national popularity with innovative blends with memorable names like Chubby Hubby, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream, and Cherry Garcia (named after rock star Jerry Garcia). Promoting their use of all-natural ingredients and the company’s eco-friendliness helped cement the product’s relationship with its baby-boomer fans. The farmers who supplied dairy products to the company pledged not to use bovine growth hormone (BGH). The ice cream cartons were made from recycled paper. The company donated a percentage of profits to charity.