- This is how Vermont's finest grew from cookie dough chunks
to hardcore political activism.
1963.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield meet in seventh grade gym class
on Long Island.
They're the two slowest kids in class.
So, by the laws of middle school,
they had to become best friends.
1977.
After college, the dudes move to Vermont
with the intention of opening a small bagel shop.
But, since the bagel-making equipment is too pricey,
they pivot to ice cream.
Makes sense.
1978.
With a modest $12,000 investment, Ben and Jerry
open their very first ice cream parlor
in a renovated gas station in Burlington.
Confused motorists soon find out,
"Hey, this ice cream is actually a lot better
than getting gas!"
And Ben & Jerry's becomes a cult hit in Vermont.
Five years later.
1983. Ben and Jerry decide to open more scoop shops
and strike a deal to sell their pints
in chain stores throughout the Northeast.
1984. OK, weird but necessary fact:
Ben has severe anosmia and lacks a sense of smell or taste,
so he relies on mouth feel to provide variety in his diet.
This is the catalyst that leads to the company's focus
on texture, leading to the trademark chunks
in their ice cream.
Their first chunky-ass pint to hit the shelves
is Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough,
still one of their best sellers today.
Ben & Jerry's essentially started the whole,
"Let's cram cookie dough and cake and candy
and whatever we want into ice cream" thing.
You're welcome, Cold Stone Creamery.
Also in 1984. As Ben and Jerry climb their way to the top,
big dog Haagen-Dazs takes notice and tries
to interfere with their distribution in Boston.
Haagen-Dazs demands that any distributor
who wishes to continue carrying their brand
must cease sales of Ben & Jerry's.
Ben and Jerry have two options.
They either take the L and get the hell out of Boston,
or fight back, much like Leo in "The Departed."
They decide to get scrappy and launch a campaign
against Haagen-Dazs's parent company.
They urge loyal customers
to write and call Pillsbury to ask,
"What's the Doughboy afraid of?"
Eventually, Haagen-Dazs stands down.
The Doughboy is not afraid any more.
1985. Ski movie "Better Off Dead" comes out,
whose plot mirrors the Ben & Jerry's / Haagen-Dazs beef
to a T.
An oddball goes head to head against the establishment
in a very cold setting,
and the underdog comes out on top.
Coincidence? Well, yeah, probably.
1986. Ben and Jerry hits the road to get their name out
in the cross-country tour aboard the Cowmobile,
a modified mobile home where they pass out free cones.
It's like the Hippie Magic Bus
mixed with an ice cream truck.
On the return trip, the Cowmobile accidentally
catches on fire and burns to the ground.
Thankfully, no one was hurt, but Ben said it looked
like the world's largest Baked Alaska.
1987. The Cowmobile stunt, along with
the commercial success of their newest flavor,
named after the Grateful Dead's frontman,
officially puts Ben & Jerry's on the map.
They become a $30 million empire,
with their ice cream being sold in 35 states.
Who's the losers sitting on the bleachers in gym class now?
Oh wait, that's me.
1988. Ben starts a nonprofit organization
to try and redirect 1% of the National Defense budget
to fund peace-promoting activities instead.
This is far from the last time Ben & Jerry's throw down
for their values.
Their crusades for social justice have become
just as recognizable as their kaleidoscope
of ice cream flavors.
1990. Over at Ben & Jerry's headquarters,
they devote a space to commemorate discontinued flavors.
They call it the Flavor Graveyard.
It sounds bleak and spooky but it's actually my happy place.
2005. To protest oil drilling in the Arctic,
Ben and Jerry construct a 900-pound Baked Alaska
and pass out slices on the front line of the US capitol.
No offense to Cowmobile, but this is
actually the world's largest Baked Alaska.
2009. After Vermont becomes the fifth state
to recognize same-sex marriage,
Ben & Jerry's celebrate by renaming classic flavor
Chubby Hubby to Hubby Hubby, aww!
2016. The dairy duo's back at it again in the US capital.
This time, they hand out pints of Empower Mint ice cream
to every member of Congress,
along with a letter asking them to repair the damage
done by the Supreme Court's 2013 decision
to cut the Voting Rights Act.
Later that year, Ben and Jerry are among 300 people
arrested as part of the democracy-awakening protest.
This move brings attention to issues
like voter suppression and keeping big money
out of politics.
And yet, some people still want them to, quote,
"stick to ice cream."
2020. Ben & Jerry's continues to lead the pack
when it comes to corporate social responsibility.
Here's their activism manager, Chris Miller,
on Thrillist's podcast.
- You know, Ben said many years ago
that speaking out about the things that he believes in,
not only was it not bad for business,
but it actually created a level of loyalty
for people who support and share our values.
You know, that's very powerful.
- With more that 600 scoop shop locations over the world,
and 60 iconic flavors like Phish Food, Half Baked,
Chunky Monkey, and The Tonight Dough,
Ben & Jerry's continues to live up
to their legen-dairy status.
Get it? Dairy, like cows?
Anyway, started in a little gas station in Vermont,
grew into a worldwide snack food icon chock-full of chunks.
Thank you, Ben & Jerry's, for always doing the right thing
in politics and in ice cream.