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This March, American entrepreneurs
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield
turn 70 years old.
And although their names probably do not tell you anything, it is very likely that you have some of their creations in your refrigerator.
And it is that the duo of magnates founded,
four decades ago,
the famous
ice cream parlor Ben & Jerrys.
A brand with great ecological and activist values, which is known for promoting various social campaigns, in addition to selling more than
150 million ice creams a year,
which makes them one of the most relevant (and millionaire) companies in the sector.
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The story of Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield begins in 1951, in New York.
Cohen's father was an
accountant
, while Greenfield's
father
was
a stockbroker.
Something that, according to the same entrepreneurs, made them
grow with a similar education.
In fact, at some point in their teens, the children were educated together.
"Jerry and I met on Long Island, in a high school gym class.
We were the slowest and fattest kids in the class.
When the whole class ran, we were left half a turn back," Cohen told Studio Potter, in 1990.
Despite this, none of their conversations made them interested in ice cream.
On the contrary, they both
had other plans
after finishing school.
According to
Business Insider,
Jerry Greenfield decided to
study pre-med
and his friend Ben Cohen moved north.
And although their paths separated, at the end of the 70s
they met again,
when Jerry decided to move in with Ben and both developed a curious idea: to
set up a bagel shop.
However, the equipment was too expensive, and after a couple of conversations they found it appropriate to go into the ice cream business.
So the friends
opened their first store in Burlington,
Vermont, with $ 4,000 each, plus a $ 4,000 loan.
But what did they know about ice cream?
Exactly
nothing
, so they were forced to learn,
through a correspondence course.
And while it all seemed crazy, the New Yorkers' adventure worked.
Ben & Jerrys grew into a
lucrative company
and its owners proved to be the best team even when their skills seemed to be incompatible.
"I've never had a very good sense of smell. And when you do
n't
,
you don't have a good sense of taste.
So when we started, Jerry had to create intense flavors and I had to guess them with my eyes closed. disability, I
developed other senses in the mouth.
For example, to identify the creaminess and the crunchiness ", related Cohen, to the
New York Times
, in 1994, after conquering the market.
In 1980, Ben and Jerry wanted to
expand their business
and rented a former bobbin factory to package their ice cream and distribute it to various stores.
Which, in a matter of months, was a resounding success for them.
Thus,
in 1981 they opened their first franchise in Shelburne,
Vermont, and only three years later, according to their website, they launched their shares on the
stock market
.
Despite this, and although the business grew brutally, neither Cohen nor Greefield forgot the values they wanted their company to convey.
Among them,
solidarity with its buyers,
concern for its workers and the need for social justice.
For example, in its 43 years of life,
Ben & Jerrys has fought
for the rights of farmers, against recombinant bovine growth hormone, in favor of children, in favor of the LGTBI community and, currently, it
tries to make the Ministry of the Interior of Spain protect refugees.
On the other hand, during the 80s and 90s, Ben and Jerry created important business policies.
Like the rule
that the highest paid employee will never earn five times more than the lowest paid worker
and that the expansion of his company does not turn into a "grow to grow".
However, everything changed 20 years ago.
In 2000, Ben & Jerrys was
bought by Unilever.
And, despite the fact that the multinational agreed that the ice cream shop would continue to make annual donations and continue promoting social campaigns,
many things stopped being as they were.
Specifically, the salary ratio and the personalized interest in the work team.
So why did Ben and Jerry, self-proclaimed hippies and activists, allow Unilever to acquire them?
According to themselves, the reason would be closely linked to
how capitalism works.
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"The end result of capitalism is no different than a game of Monopoly. One guy takes all the money and everyone else loses. What we have in America is
a democracy run for the benefit of corporations.
That's a disaster. That is it. we're seeing it, we're living it, and it just keeps getting worse, "Cohen told the
New York Times
in 2020. Still, both founders seem very proud of their legacy and, of course, their portfolio.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Jerry Greenfield would have $ 150 million in his account, and Ben Cohen would have basically the same fortune.
Although, with all that money, there is something the duo do not own: Ben & Jerrys ice cream cans!
What's more, they
say they don't have any in their fridge.
"I don't have Ben & Jerrys ice cream, so if some other company wants to give me free ice cream, I'll be here for everyone," Greenfield tends to joke, with the intention of "showing" that
their company doesn't care too much for them.
But the truth is that both Ben and Jerry still work at the company.
It's just that neither of them affects the administration and they dedicate themselves exclusively
to valuing the message that the brand transmits.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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