12 Surprising Facts About Ben & Jerry’s You Might Not Know

Growing up in Vermont, I thought Ben & Jerry’s was an elite secret known only to us locals. We’d get seconds down at the local gas station, and everyone knew about new flavors well before they hit shelves. The more I traveled, the more I realized that our little secret had gotten out, and everyone was ranking Ben & Jerry’s as their favorite ice cream of all time. It’s not just successful because of its fun packaging and witty names — it’s the consistently creamy, flavorful, and textured mouthfuls that make taking just one bite impossible.

Founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield let their personalities shine through their creations. They have a taste for justice and have added a sprinkle of pizzazz to the brand. The dynamic duo has balanced their company with fun while addressing difficult topics and taking strong political stances. The Ben & Jerry’s headquarters are a blast, creating an engaging space for employees to work and play. At the same time, they’ve curated a culture of safety and inclusivity that reflects their deeply-rooted value system.

If you haven’t visited the factory in Waterbury, Vermont, it’s time for a road trip. Not only will you see the production space and sample oodles of ice cream, but you’ll learn even more about the brand’s humble beginnings. For those of you who can’t make the drive, I hope I can paint a colorful picture of the machine behind the best ice cream you’ve ever tasted. Beyond its desserts, the company has so much depth and character. Here are some facts you didn’t know about Ben & Jerry’s that will have you falling even more in love with the company.

Did you know that ice cream wasn’t always at the forefront of Ben and Jerry’s minds? Although the frozen dessert is what made them famous, they had another vision in mind for their company. Doing a full 180 from dessert, Ben and Jerry had originally planned to focus on the most important meal of the day: breakfast. They planned to make bagels and sell them with lox and cream cheese — along with copies of The New York Times — on Sunday morning.

Although this sounds like something almost any American would appreciate, their plan to make ice cream was more financially feasible. This is one of my favorite Ben & Jerry’s fun facts because I love that the two friends didn’t care what they were selling; they just wanted to go into business together. However, I think we can all rejoice that they landed on selling our favorite frozen dessert because without Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, we would be deprived of some of our favorite ice cream flavors. Let’s leave the bagel-making and newspaper delivery to someone else for now.

If you’ve ever visited the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury, Vermont, then you may have made a chilling visit to its spookiest and most solemn exhibition. Grab your black veils and umbrellas because you’re about to pay respects at the Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard. Haunted by the souls of flavors left for dead, the Flavor Graveyard is equipped with an individual headstone for each discontinued flavor. Rest in peace, sweet treats.

But the fun doesn’t end there. On the headstones reads a short poem paying tribute to the flavor that is no longer, explaining its cause of death. While none of the original eight flavors survived, they don’t appear to have secured spots behind the white picket fence. Instead, the Flavor Graveyard is home to other discontinued Ben & Jerry’s flavors, such as Peanut Butter and Jelly, Crème Brûlée, Fresh Georgia Peach, Holy Cannoli, and Sugar Plum, all of which sound pretty good to me. Although less popular than the lasting flavors, they made their mark on the world and helped with the progression of the company, and for that, they are honored. Pay your respects next time you’re in Vermont and take a stroll through the Flavor Graveyard. Don’t forget to bring tissues.

They say friends or family shouldn’t go into business together, but Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are the exception. The duo were friends long before the idea of their ice cream business was in the works. They were childhood friends, meeting in the seventh grade in gym class. Being the two slowest kids in class, their bond seemed inevitable.

Since their meeting in 1963, they went to separate colleges before reconnecting, moving to Vermont, and jumping back into school. They completed an ice cream-making course through Penn State University, which back then only cost $5 each. Both received a perfect score on the open-book test, and from there, they were ready to get rolling on their idea to start a business from the ground up.

Although friendships always have their ups and downs, the two have only gotten into one big fight, and you guessed it, it was over ice cream. Well, it was about the size of chunks inside the ice cream. Ben was all about the big chunks and felt their customers were on board, while Jerry was more focused on the flavor of the ice cream. A pretty reasonable argument for two people with an ice cream company, if you ask me.

While many major companies started in garages, like Microsoft, HP, and Amazon, Ben & Jerry’s got its start in an unexpected location. Ben and Jerry chose an old gas station in Burlington, Vermont. At the time, the college town didn’t have another ice cream store, and although run-down, the gas station was well located and all they could afford at the time. Although dilapidated with sagging ceilings that they had to cover with plastic, the two found it the perfect place to make and sell ice cream, and they saw its potential.

Luckily, the company grew at a rapid pace, and by 1987, it was valued at $30 million. I guess sometimes it pays to jump right in and start from the ground up if that’s all you can do. The two started their company with only $12,000, a third of which was borrowed. Today, Ben & Jerry’s is one of the most popular ice cream companies in the world, with over 500 scoop shops around the world.

If you’re one of the customers eagerly awaiting a maple bacon-flavored ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s, you’ll have to keep waiting. That’s not because Ben & Jerry’s is beyond trends or because they fear it’s a little too creative, because the company has tried some pretty left-field flavors in the past and isn’t afraid of trailblazing. No, it’s because Ben & Jerry’s sells primarily kosher products.

Because most, but not all, of its products are certified kosher, it’s important to look for the Kof-K symbol on the pint label. This indicates that the particular flavor is kosher. If you follow a kosher diet but are craving some Ben & Jerry’s, target some of its top-tier Kof-K certified flavors, like the ever-so-popular Cherry Garcia, Oat of this Swirled, Chubby Hubby, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chunky Monkey, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, and many, many more. If you visit a scoop shop, keep in mind that their scoops are not certified kosher since they do not have a designated area and tools for kosher products. 

Both Ben and Jerry are proudly Jewish, so keeping the bulk of their items kosher is important to them and their company. Lucky us, now we get endless kosher options to choose from! But sorry, Ben and Jerry’s will never create an ice cream with bacon, so bacon fans will have to turn elsewhere.

Chocolate chip cookie dough has climbed its way toward the top of the ice cream game and is regarded as one of the most popular flavors out there. And while it seems like a flavor that’s been around forever, Ben & Jerry’s was the first to invent the flavor, which spurred its popularity. In fact, they were the first to pave the way for edible cookie dough. Today, you can find edible cookie dough on the shelves of grocery stores, but at one time, you’d be risking salmonella poisoning due to the raw egg content.

However, it wasn’t Ben or Jerry who invented the flavor, but instead an anonymous fan who suggested it at the first scoop shop in Burlington, Vermont, in 1984. Thank you, anonymous customer, for changing the face of ice cream forever! Although other companies now sell the flavor, Ben & Jerry’s has an edge as the innovator of such a popular treat. It’s no wonder our team ranked Ben & Jerry’s as the top chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

I’m sure you’ve heard about offices with cool amenities like beer on tap, cozy couches, and gaming areas. It seems that employees who perceive their environment as fun are more likely to stick around. Well, Ben and Jerry took note and created the ultimate good-time headquarters, and it sounds like an employee’s dream. The environment itself is equipped with a slide and a treehouse, bringing out the inner child in everyone. Why walk to your meeting if you can slide?

Once you’ve reached the bottom of the slide, you can hop off and find your meeting in rooms named after your favorite ice cream flavor. In addition, employees have their own scoop shop, you can bring your dog into the office, and if you’re hungry, you can head on down to the test kitchen and taste test whatever the Flavor Gurus have whipped up for the day. At the end of a long day of ice cream eating, sliding, and dog snuggling, employees can bring up to 3 pints of ice cream home with them.

Think the place is all fun and games? In addition to a wicked cool atmosphere filled with ice cream galore, the company is all about inclusivity and protecting its employees. The company flies its Black Lives Matter and Pride flags for all to see.

Although it’s easy to assume that Ben and Jerry are the masterminds behind each and every Ben & Jerry’s flavor, many of the flavors were actually invented by fans of the company. If you think the name “Cherry Garcia” rings a bell, it’s because it was inspired by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. The guitarist, in addition to being a famous musician, was also an environmental activist and humanitarian, which aligned beautifully with the values held by Ben and Jerry. It’s no wonder that when a Deadhead wrote them a postcard suggesting they create a flavor based on Jerry Garcia, they jumped on the opportunity, launching Cherry Garcia in 1987.

If you live under a rock and haven’t tried the famous flavor, it has a base of cherry ice cream and is loaded with large chunks of frozen cherries and chocolate fudge. The fruity chocolate combination just works, and the flavor remained at the top of Ben & Jerry’s sales for a decade until it lost its slot to Half-Baked. So, those are the anonymous beginnings of Ben & Jerry’s popular Cherry Garcia flavor that has taken the U.S. by storm. If you haven’t yet, grab a pint and pay tribute to the late Jerry Garcia, who brought more to this world than just incredible music.

Creators of recipes are called chefs, creators of art are called artists, and creators of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors are called Flavor Gurus. The Flavor Gurus at the Ben & Jerry’s headquarters have their very own laboratory where they experiment with different combinations of flavors, working hard to create brand-new products for us to enjoy in the test kitchen.

Beyond creating brand-new flavors, the Flavor Gurus also experiment with how to get more flavor into each scoop. Sometimes they start with a classic base and add their favorite chunks, sometimes they use an existing dessert as inspiration, and sometimes wild combinations appear to them in dreams. If you have a knack for food combos, they would love to hear your ideas. After all, some of their most popular flavors have come from fans like you and me, so don’t hold back. This tiny team responsible for Ben & Jerry’s new flavors is what keeps the company on top. After all, it’s all about flavor, and there’s never a shortage in each bite of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

Beyond frozen desserts, Ben and Jerry intertwined activism into their company. They’re not just about sweet treats; they also believe in active social justice, and their values are made clear to all willing to listen. In fact, the company’s website has an entire section dedicated to activism, listing its progressive values. Ben and Jerry’s unique take on corporate activism, including an original mission statement, incorporates activism into every aspect of the brand.

The company is less concerned about backlash and more so about upholding its values. Ben and Jerry even launched activism-linked products, like the Peace Pop to protest the Reagan administration’s nuclear defense program, and Wavy Gravy, the rock ‘n’ roll activist-inspired product. What better way to get people on board for a cause than ice cream?

Ben & Jerry’s activism focuses on three main issues: human rights and dignity, social and economic justice, and environmental protection, restoration, and regeneration. Ben & Jerry’s hopes to minimize its impact on the environment. The dairy industry can be tough on our environment, so it may have a long way to go, but the company is determined to make great strides and set the standards high.

It’s easy to assume that both Ben and Jerry are all about the flavor, considering that’s what they’re famous for. While that is a major focus of the company, you may have noticed that those massive chunks play an important role in the product, as well. The brand stands out for its prominent textures that have a pleasing contrast to the creamy-smooth frozen dairy base. There is a reason why Ben & Jerry’s has such big chunks in its flavors, and that reason has to do with co-founder Ben Cohen’s condition called anosmia.

Since childhood, Ben has struggled with anosmia, which is a condition resulting in partial or full loss of smell. The lack of ability to smell can also impact certain flavors, meaning Ben’s sense of taste is impacted by the condition. This is why texture is so important for the ice cream genius. And, in the end, his lack of taste helped the brand to stand out as the chunkiest ice cream around. I guess everything does happen for a reason.

If you’re wondering where all the classic flavors have gone — like strawberry, mint chocolate chip, or chocolate — you can find them at the Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops. You haven’t just overlooked them in the freezer at the grocery store because some of them are sold exclusively by the scoop. In addition to these classics, other bold flavors unavailable in stores are also hiding away in the scoop shops.

Does this make them more desirable? Or perhaps it keeps the pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream on-brand as wacky and unique. Whatever the reason, you might as well try a flavor not offered in stores next time you’re near a scoop shop. Curious where you can find these elusive flavors and scoop shops? They are located all over the world and can likely be found in locations near you. So if you’re looking for classic flavors, then turn to the Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops, because you can’t buy them in stores. Get your scoops while they last; who knows when they may end up in the Flavor Graveyard.