Now Ben and Jerry’s is one, too. Ever since its acquisition by Unilever, the quirky ice cream company has been the poster case for a campaign to create a new kind of company that’s friendlier Today I found out Ben & Jerry’s was originally going to be a bagel company. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield ended up changing their minds when they found out how much it would cost to get all the needed equipment for making bagels. Instead, in 1978, they both took a $5 correspondence course from Pennsylvania State University on ice cream making. Do Ben And Jerry Still Own The Company. Ben and Jerry’s was founded in 1978 by childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. The company began as a small ice cream parlor in Burlington, Vermont, but soon became a nationwide sensation. In 2000, Ben and Jerry’s was acquired by Unilever, a multinational corporation. Citizen Frank. Ben & Jerry’s parent company has lost roughly $2.5 billion in market cap amid calls to boycott the Vermont-based ice cream maker over a July 4 tweet condemning the US for existing on “stolen Indigenous land.”. Shares of Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch multinational firm, slid as much as 1% at Thursday’s opening bell after By ToI Staff 11 October 2021, 8:50 am 55. Ben Cohen (L) and Jerry Greenfield (R) speak with Axios in an interview released on October 10, 2021 (Screen grab used in accordance with Clause 27a of BY Regan Stephens. April 17, 2021, 4:00 AM PDT. At the 42-year-old, Unilever-owned ice cream brand, new products are dreamed up by an innovation team made up of “flavor gurus.”. Courtesy of Unilever owns everything from food brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Hellman’s, Bertolli, and Lipton to personal hygiene brands like Dove, Vaseline, Axe, and St. Ives. In May 1978, using $8,000 of their own money and $4,000 they'd borrowed, Cohen and Greenfield opened their first Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc. ice cream scoop shop in a renovated gas station in Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, must meet social, economic, and environmental standards that make them not only the best companies in the world, but the best companies for the world. Learn about Ben & Jerry's three-part mission, the progressive values that guide our company, and the unique business model we call linked prosperity. October 15, 2022 by Veronica. In 1978, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield founded Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc. in a dilapidated gas station in Burlington, Vermont. With a $12,000 investment, the two friends created a company that would revolutionize the ice cream industry. Cohen and Greenfield were childhood friends who bonded over their love of food. DRp6.