Ben & Jerry’s was created in 1978 when founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened their first ice cream parlor in Burlington, Vermont. The duo “wanted to do something more fun” with their careers: Cohen was a pottery teacher and Greenfield worked as a lab technician. After taking a five dollar course in ice cream making from Pennsylvania State University, the two managed to raise $12,000 and repurposed a gas station in downtown Burlington.

Ben & Jerry’s quickly gained a loyal following of local college students because of its unique flavors and use of high-quality ingredients. Deciding that local grocery and convenience stores would be profitable outlets for their products, the pair rented factory space and began packaging their ice cream in pint-sized cartons. Although Ben & Jerry’s kept its operations in the Burlington area, the ice cream received national attention in 1981, when Time magazine featured it as “the best ice cream in the world.” Soon after the story was published, the popularity and sales of Ben & Jerry’s grew dramatically. The company began opening locations outside the state of Vermont and distributing its goods across the nation. The continued expansion of the company and high sales figures far exceeded the founders’ expectations. Ben & Jerry’s initially financed its growth by selling stock exclusively to residents in Vermont in order to establish local accountability and spread the wealth in the community. As the company expanded, the pair was presented with a challenging dilemma. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield were unsure about keeping the business, because they were “afraid that business exploits its workers and the community.” The two decided to keep the company and devised a mission statement to show how businesses could be the drivers of positive change in a community. Ben & Jerry’s social mission is to “make the world a better place.........” 

Questions

1. What role does corporate social responsibility play in the Ben & Jerry’s business model?

2. Should Ben and Jerry have continued to operate Ben and Jerry’s as an independent company, rather than selling it to Unilever? What were the pros and cons of going forward with the sale?

3. How can Ben & Jerry’s justify the concept of a triple bottom line—profits, people, and planet—to company shareholders?