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Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield founded an ice cream company that grew from a renovated gas station to a global brand, recognized for both its innovative flavors and its commitment to social activism.
Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry's in 2000 for approximately $326 million ($607 million accounting for inflation in 2025). The acquisition agreement included provisions to preserve Ben & Jerry's social mission, brand integrity, and product quality by creating an independent Board of Directors.
In 1992, Ben & Jerry's collaborated with the Children's Defense Fund, a national nonprofit, to send 70,000 postcards to Congress advocating for children's basic needs to be prioritized.
In 1999, Ben & Jerry's raised money for Childline, a counseling service in the UK, as part of its social mission activities.
In 2004, Ben & Jerry's partnered with Rock the Vote to register 11,000 voters, focusing on driving voter turnout among young people in the US.
In 2005, Ben & Jerry's teamed up with Greenpeace and the Alaska Wilderness League to protest oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, constructing a 900-pound Baked Alaska in front of the U.S. Capitol Building.
In 2005, Ben & Jerry's teamed up with Greenpeace and the Alaska Wilderness League to protest oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, constructing a 900-pound Baked Alaska in front of the U.S. Capitol Building.
Ben & Jerry's introduced the 'Cherry Garcia' ice cream flavor, named after Grateful Dead vocalist and lead guitarist Jerry Garcia. This flavor became one of the brand's most popular offerings.
Ben & Jerry's collaborated with Stephen Colbert to create the flavor 'Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream'.
Ben & Jerry's collaborated with Jimmy Fallon to create the flavors 'Late Night Snack' and 'The Tonight Dough'. Proceeds from 'The Tonight Dough' support the SeriousFun Children's Network.
Ben & Jerry's has collaborated on flavors with the Dave Matthews Band.
Ben & Jerry's created the 'Phish Food' ice cream flavor, inspired by the Vermont-based musical group Phish.
In 2009, Ben & Jerry's donated all proceeds from the sale of its 'Yes Pecan!' flavor (renamed in reference to Barack Obama's 2008 election victory) to the Common Cause Education Fund.
In 2009, Ben & Jerry's partnered with Freedom to Marry to rename its 'Chubby Hubby' flavor to 'Hubby Hubby' in celebration of the legalization of same-sex marriage in Vermont.
In 2015, Ben & Jerry's temporarily renamed 'Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough' to 'I Dough, I Dough' to celebrate the United States Supreme Court's ruling in support of same-sex marriage, with proceeds going to the Human Rights Campaign.
Ben & Jerry's teamed up with Tony's Chocolonely to raise awareness for ending modern slavery and child labor in the chocolate industry.
In September 2022, Ben & Jerry's rebranded its cold brew coffee flavor to 'Change is Brewing' to highlight the power of Black voters and encourage voter participation by supporting Black Voters Matter activities.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, childhood friends from Long Island, New York, embarked on their entrepreneurial journey after considering a bagel shop. The pair opted for ice cream after taking a $5 correspondence course from Pennsylvania State University. In 1978, with a combined investment of $8,000 and an additional $4,000 loan, they opened their first ice cream shop in a converted gas station in Burlington, Vermont, initially selling other food items before focusing solely on ice cream by 1979. Cohen, who has anosmia, a lack of a sense of smell, relied on ‘mouthfeel’ to develop intense flavors, leading to the company’s characteristic inclusion of large chunks and swirls.
By 1980, Ben & Jerry’s expanded its distribution by packing ice cream into pint-sized containers for grocery stores. The first franchise location opened in Shelburne, Vermont, in 1981. This early period was marked by creative marketing efforts, such as building “the world’s largest ice cream sundae” in 1983 and launching the “Cowmobile” in 1986 to distribute free scoops cross-country. In 1985, they established The Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, allocating 7.5% of annual pre-tax profits to community projects, setting a precedent for their future social mission. Their commitment to social issues deepened with initiatives like opposing rBGH in 1989 and supporting Farm Aid in 1990.
A significant milestone in product development arrived in 1991 with the release of “Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough” in pints, rapidly becoming one of their most popular flavors. Beyond flavors, the company consistently engaged with social causes, partnering with the Children’s Defense Fund in 1992 and establishing a visible online presence with www.benjerry.com in 1995. In 2000, Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s for $326 million, with an agreement to maintain an independent Board of Directors focused on preserving the company’s social mission and brand integrity. Despite this acquisition, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield remained involved, endorsing initiatives like the “Occupy Wall Street” movement in 2011 and advocating for mandatory GMO labeling in 2013, continuing their legacy of combining business with social advocacy.
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