The Ledger
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Unilever must maintain Ben & Jerry's activism to preserve brand equity
“You know, if Unilever bought a brand and bought the goodwill that goes along with that brand and bought the reputation that goes along with that brand, they need to continue those activities in order to keep that brand strong.”
Ben & Jerry's would not have succeeded if founded in New York
“I think if we had started in New York, we never would have gained the local following that we gained in Vermont. In Vermont, it would, we could be A bigger fish in a smaller pond.”
Founders split a single $5 ice cream-making correspondence course
“Five dollars. We split one between the two of us.”
Commercial machinery initially prevented ice cream brands from adding large chunks
“The difference is that no commercial ice creams were packaging ice cream like that, and as we discovered, the reason why they weren't doing it is because the machinery, the commercial ice cream machinery, was not designed to be able to handle large chunks.”
Scoop shop portion control uniquely alienates customers at the counter
“In every business except for ice cream, the portions are controlled in the back. Out of sight of the customer. And when you're scooping ice cream, you're supposed to control the portion inside of the customer, and if the scoop is too big, you're supposed to ta…”
Founders put Ben & Jerry's up for sale in the 1980s
“Our reaction to that was to sell the business, and we actually put it up for sale. This was early on. This was in the eighties.”
Ben & Jerry's sourced from Greyston Bakery for its social mission
“That, that, that's our project with the Greyston Bakery and deliberately choosing to use this ingredient supplier because this particular ingredient supplier was driven by a social mission of providing employment opportunities for formerly unemployable people.”
The Cherry Garcia ice cream flavor was inspired by a fan's postcard
“We got a postcard that said, we're both deadheads, and we're also Ben and Jerry's fans, and we think you ought to come out with a flavor called Cherry Garcia, because it would be a real hoot for the fans, and dead paraphernalia always sells.”
Cohen and Greenfield split a $5 Penn State ice cream correspondence course
“Five dollars. We split one between the two of us.”
Cohen: Commercial ice cream lacked large chunks due to machinery limitations
“No commercial ice creams. We're packaging ice cream like that, and as we discovered, the reason why they weren't doing it is because the machinery The commercial ice cream machinery was not designed to be able to handle large chunks. So all you would get would…”
SBA mentor advised Ben & Jerry's to ask for a loan moratorium
“He was an old guy named Manny, and, ah, he said, well, just tell him you can't pay your loan right now, that you can pay it, you know, when the weather turns. You know, they'll, they'll, they'll like, just let you pay interest. And we went to the bank, and we …”
Cohen: Ice cream faces unique retail portion control friction
“In every business except for ice cream, the portions are controlled in the back. Out of sight of the customer, and when you're scooping ice cream, you're supposed to control the portion inside of the customer, and if the scoop is too big, you're supposed to ta…”
Ben & Jerry's founders put the company up for sale in 1980s
“Our reaction to that was to sell the business, and we actually put it up for sale. This was early on. This was in the eighties.”
Founders researched starting Ben & Jerry's using 30 SBA pamphlets
“We sent away for 30 SBA pamphlets that cost between 15 cents a And three dollars per on all the different aspects of running a business.”
Founders avoided warm college towns due to existing ice cream competition
“We figured we had a better chance of success if we opened up in a place where there wasn't much competition. And originally we were looking for warm, rural college towns, and all the warm ones already had ice cream. So, you know, as we went further and further…”
Ben & Jerry's discounted winter cones based on freezing temperatures
“For every degree below zero Celsius which is 32 degrees Fahrenheit you got a penny off the price of your cone, which was significant at the time because a cone cost 52 cents.”
First unconventional flavors were Oreo Mint and Heath Bar Crunch
“You know, the first two flavors that we did that were not your normal ones were Oreo Mint and Heath Bar Crunch.”
Bank granted loan moratorium to save Ben & Jerry's first winter
“And we went to the bank, and we said that, and they said, sure, no problem. Just pay interest, and, you know, we'll extend the loan, and that got us through.”
Cohen and Greenfield learned business basics using 30 cheap SBA pamphlets
“We sent away for 30 SBA pamphlets that cost between 15 cents and three dollars per on all the different aspects of
Running a business.”
A Ben & Jerry's ice cream cone cost 52 cents at launch
“For every degree below zero Celsius which is 32 degrees Fahrenheit you got a penny off the price of your cone, which was significant at the time because a cone cost 52 cents.”
Ben Cohen dropped out of multiple colleges and alternative programs
“And then I finally joined the University Without Walls, which was the most unstructured college program at the time. The idea was that the whole world was your campus, and you go out there and learn whatever you wanted to learn, and then you come back. To this…”