After arriving in Vermont late Monday night, my Tuesday morning alarm went off earlier than I would have preferred; but the promise of a day filled with all things ice cream provided some much needed motivation. 15 other food bloggers, writers, entrepenuers and myself were shuttled over to headquarters just a few minutes away for a fun-filled day of Ben & Jerry's education. While the actual production facility is located about 20 minutes away in Waterbury, VT, their headquarters are located close to where the first Ben & Jerry's scoop shop was originally opened back in 1978.
The first few hours included an overview of exactly what the Ben & Jerry's brand is based on, what the company believes in, how they stay connected with their consumers, how they give back to their supporters and how they're trying to use their brand recognition to make a real difference across the globe. We covered topics such as their upcoming 2013 truck tour (which will be traveling up and down the East and West Coasts), how they use social media to help connect consumers to limited-edition flavors, their Get The Dough Out campaign and their latest Capture Euphoria Instagram initiative.
In the middle of all this, the rear door suddenly swung open and Jerry Greenfield came walking through. He then proceeded to take a seat in the middle of the room and chat with us for about a half hour while he shared how the company was founded and exactly what his role is within Ben & Jerry's today. Starting way back in 1978 in an old gas station (and only $12,000), this famous duo was able to build a company that has since captured the hearts of people all over the world.
Jerry Greenfield, Co-Founder of Ben & Jerry's
Their operation has blossomed from a small-time business into one that has the power and leverage to make an impact on real global issues; something that everyone we spoke with seemed very passionate about. Not only do the focus on using Fair Trade ingredients in all their ice cream, they also make an impact by partnering with organizations like Greyston Bakery and others. So what is Jerry's all-time favorite flavors?
We then chatted with some other members of the Ben & Jerry's team who explained their relationship with Unilever and their Statement of Mission; a point that was reiterated throughout the day. The idea of being able to produce top-notch ice cream, generate a substantial profit and do both in a socially responsible way is something that other companies should strive to replicate.
Jostein Solheim, CEO of Ben & Jerry's
Chris Miller, Social Activism Manager
We also received a sneak peek of some upcoming Limited Batch Pints: Cannoli (already released), Pina Colada (to be released in May through August 2013) and Candy Bar Pie (to be released from September to December 2013).
After brushing up on the basics of Ben & Jerry's we made our way to Scoop University, their own in-house scoop shop located inside the headquarters. Here we learned exactly how to scoop ice cream from behind the counter, cook up waffle cones and even served some of the employees.
The menu at the scoop shop included a handful of specialty items; all available for just $1.00.
We cooked up some waffle cones on the hot waffle irons.
We then grabbed some sticks and prepared to sample some of the flavors they had on hand.
The festivities ended with something I had been looking forward to all day; a trip to the R&D department. Flavor gurus taught us exactly how they determine which flavors make the cut and what's involved in their day to day operations. They informed us that they receive 10,000-15,000 flavor suggestions every single year and only 3-5 actually make their way into production. We were also told to expect White Russian to make a reappearance sometime this Summer; a flavor I'm really looking forward to trying out. We then saw exactly how they produce a test batch by churning one up for ourselves.
The test kitchen where all the magic happens.
The low-scale ice cream maker that churns out 6 pints of each test batch.
A flavor guru adding some Fair Trade vanilla to Ben & Jerry's famous ice cream mix that would act as our base.
The finished vanilla ice cream that we then combined with bits of blondie brownies and fudge chunks.
The finished product, which had the consistency of soft serve and tasted delicious.
Everyone was intrigued by the shelf full of empty pints that were stacked up against the back wall; some of which I wish were still around. Some of the most interesting were: Uncanny Cashew, Festivus, Peanuts! Popcorn!, Wavy Gravy, Ooey Gooey Cake, Makin' Whoopie Pie and American Pie.
Tomorrow we'll be heading to the factory in Waterbury, Vermont to take a peek at exactly how each pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream is manufactured and distributed. Until then!
