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Ben & Jerry- ICE Cream

 

 

Ben & Jerry

They turned their $5 for an ice cream making course into a successful multimillion dollar business, and they had a lot of fun in the process.
Ben & Jerry's was started in 1978, when Long Island, N.Y., natives Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield used a $12,000 investment to open up a homemade ice cream scoop shop in Burlington, Vermont. The Ben & Jerry's shop grew rapidly in popularity, and by 1980 they began packing pints to sell in grocery stores. By 1985, the company's sales were more than $9 million, and it began building its manufacturing plant in nearby Waterbury, Vermont. The plant in Waterbury was then opened to the public for tours of Ben & Jerry's ice cream making operations, creating a tourist attraction for the town, which has a population of around 1,700.

Although Ben & Jerry's was bought in 2000 by Unilever (NYSE: UN) for $326 million, the company still maintains its local roots, with its headquarters in South Burlington and its factory still open for tours in Waterbury. The founders of Ben & Jerry's, while no longer holding any positions within the company, have worked with Unilever to make sure it remains as socially conscious as when they ran it, keeping that small-town, grassroots feel that made it such a success worldwide.

 

 

 

“There are a lot of people who are going into business who are frustrated,” says Greenfield. “[People think] if you try to have a business that tries to give to the people, it takes away from your ability to be successful financially.” Ben & Jerry’s proved that business doesn’t have to be all bad. They were able to both make a profit and give back to the community, and turn the business world on its head in the meantime.

They Made Work Fun: Halloween parties, Valentines Day Parties…there is scarcely a holiday that goes uncelebrated by the Joy Gang at Ben & Jerry’s. Cohen and Greenfield bet that by investing in its people – its most important resource – they would in turn invest more of their energy into the company. The gamble paid off.

They Used Their Imaginations: Nothing about Ben & Jerry’s was unoriginal. From its clever and unpretentious marketing to its product flavours, the company took every opportunity to make use of the creativity of its owners and customers alike. Because no one ever knew what to expect from the dynamic duo, they kept going back for more.

They Built a Great Team: “Our biggest disagreement was about chunks,” recalls Greenfield. “Ben came up with the flavours and I did the manufacturing, and he wanted bigger chunks and I wanted small ones with greater distribution. He said people didn’t care if you got a chunk in every bite as long as you knew that fairly soon you’d get a chunk.” Cohen and Greenfield were not without their conflicts, but with a shared commitment, they managed to work together towards their goals in an inspired partnership. “He recently admitted I was right,” jokes Cohen.

They Didn’t Back Down: They never would have thought that a corporate giant like Pillsbury could ever be afraid of them - two young hippies - but they did know that they would never be afraid of the corporate giant. When Cohen and Greenfield were challenged, they stood up in the face of their enemies and challenged them right back. It was this determination and strength that would come to define the company.

The story of Ben & Jerry’s represents the story of the American dream. Through nothing but hard work and passion, two youths who were disenchanted with corporate America, became two of the most respected corporate executives in the country. They stayed true to their vision, fought for what they believed was right, and were generously rewarded.
From the start, Ben and Jerry’s made social mission an integral part of the company vision statement. Now a wholly-owned autonomous subsidiary of Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s remains as committed to its social mission as to producing a wide variety of super premium ice creams and ice cream products. Ben and Jerry’s social mission focuses on children and families, social justice, the environment, and sustainable agriculture on family farms.

Taking the integration of social mission a step further than most companies, the company that brought you flavors like “Cherry Garcia” stretched language and business practice by developing business partnerships with nonprofit organizations.

The PartnerShop Program, begun in 1987, offers discounted Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop franchisee agreements, training, and support for nonprofit organizations. The franchisor waives the $30,000 franchise fee, exempts shops from the standard 3% royalty and provides training and specialized support from the Ben & Jerry’s field team. Nonprofit organizations get a nationally branded, social enterprise, the profits from which can help sustain their work in the community. The nonprofit franchisees are engaged in the education and training of young populations with barriers to employment.



“The PartnerShops are an asset to our franchise system as well as a fulfillment of our social mission,” says Leslie Halperin, PartnerShop Program Manager at Ben & Jerry’s. “In addition to providing a venue for nonprofits to accomplish their mission-related activities, PartnerShops provide well-trained employees that can be employed at traditional Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops.”

In addition to a revenue stream that enhances their sustainability, the nonprofit franchisees now also have a built-in system for successful first work experiences for the youth they serve (on average a shop trains 25-30 youth per year). The organizations also benefit from increased publicity and visibility for their various other workforce development activities.

There are currently 16 PartnerShops, with plans to double the outlets by 2005 and operate 50 shops by 2007 – at least one in every major retail market that Ben & Jerry’s serves.

“We often use local Workforce Investment Boards to identify entrepreneurial nonprofit organizations with human resources capacity and track records of success in building skills and employability among disadvantaged youth,” says Halperin. “Over time, we’ve learned how to better support our PartnerShop franchisees, and we’ve learned the importance of having an established and successful nonprofit organization who is ready to take on the hybrid model that is a social enterprise venture.”

bibliography
winwinpartners  and evancarmichael.com

 

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