Speaker A
So we have some very special guests here today. I must say, very proud to present the founders of Ben and Jerry, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. Welcome.
Founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield discuss Ben & Jerry's commitment to 100% fair trade ingredients globally and share their origin story.
Key Takeaways
- Ben & Jerry's is committed to sourcing 100% fair trade ingredients globally.
- The founders started the company with no business training but a passion for ice cream and social responsibility.
- Fair trade practices support communities and help reduce exploitation in supply chains.
- Ethical business can be profitable and impactful simultaneously.
- Personal stories of the founders illustrate the humble beginnings and values behind the brand.
Summary
- Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, founders of Ben & Jerry's, discuss the company's commitment to making all products 100% fair trade globally.
- They are on a mini tour, having recently been in London and Amsterdam before arriving in Stockholm.
- The founders share personal stories about their friendship starting at age 13 and their school experiences.
- They explain how they started their business in Vermont in 1978 with no formal business training.
- Ben & Jerry's began in an old abandoned gas station selling homemade ice cream.
- The company aims to support employees and communities through ethical sourcing and business practices.
- They emphasize that fair trade products may cost a few cents more but help lift producers out of poverty.
- The interview includes informal conversations and interactions with people during their tour.
- Ben and Jerry highlight the importance of making ethical business choices while still being profitable.
- The video ends with plans for a Q&A session and sharing ice cream with attendees.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Welcome
- 00:23Founders Introduced
- 01:17Ben & Jerry's Fair Trade Commitment
- 02:22Global Mini Tour Overview
- 02:58Experiences in Stockholm
- 03:30Getting to Know Local People
- 04:09Founders' Background and Business Start
- 04:54Childhood and School Memories
- 06:00Early Career Attempts and Ice Cream Business Launch
- 07:00Learning Ice Cream Making and Business Growth
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
i'm ben and ben uh so uh we've come here today uh to talk about ben and jerry's commitment to fair trade globally uh and how uh it's going to be 100 fair drink for all ben and jerry's products
Speaker A
Hello, nice to see you all. Thank you for coming. I'm Jerry.
Speaker A
in that little room right over there uh talking talking with folks one-on-one and then twice during the day they let us go for a little five-minute walk outside so that's what yeah that's what we've seen in stockholm so far
Speaker A
I'm Ben, and Ben, so we've come here today to talk about Ben and Jerry's commitment to fair trade globally, and how it's going to be 100% fair trade for all Ben and Jerry's products.
Speaker A
think i'll talk a little about how ben and i came to be where we are and then we'll have some time for questions and then everybody eats lots of ice cream uh so uh ben and i started in the united states in vermont
Speaker A
In all our flavors, all over the world. So Ben and I are on a mini tour. We were in London making the announcement, and we were in Amsterdam yesterday, and we're here today. We've spent most of the day
Speaker A
uh in gym class because we were the two slowest fattest kids in the class and we met running around the track together when everybody else was way up in front and ben and i were in the back and uh after going through school and
Speaker A
in that little room right over there, talking, talking with folks one-on-one, and then twice during the day they let us go for a little five-minute walk outside. So that's what, yeah, that's what we've seen in Stockholm so far.
Speaker A
and we didn't have any business training we learned how to make ice cream from a correspondence course and how to make ice cream uh we opened up in an old abandoned gas station uh and just started selling ice cream
Speaker A
But we've actually been having a really nice day because most of our interviews have been more like conversations with people, so I feel like we're getting to know a little bit of what people are like here. So, I
Speaker A
day we showed free outdoor walk-in movies outside at the gas station and after a few years the business uh started to prosper it became almost a real business and uh ben and i were kind of kind of freaked out by that because we
Speaker A
think I'll talk a little about how Ben and I came to be where we are, and then we'll have some time for questions, and then everybody eats lots of ice cream. So, Ben and I started in the United States in Vermont,
Speaker A
and uh at that point ben ran into an old friend of his who convinced us that uh we could make our business be a different kind of business to be a business that supported employees and supported the community
Speaker A
a rural state with a small homemade ice cream parlor in 1978, and we reached that point because Ben and I are old friends. We met when we were 13 years old, and we met in school together,
Speaker A
be 100 fair traded and uh it's uh a sign and validation of the idea that it's possible for businesses to buy their products in ways that do not exploit people and makes money at the same time and we're here today to
Speaker A
in gym class, because we were the two slowest, fattest kids in the class, and we met running around the track together when everybody else was way up in front, and Ben and I were in the back. And after going through school and
Speaker A
you need to make uh make it known and uh let them know that that's how you want products and you know it ends up costing a few cents more uh per pint or per bar or for whatever whatever it is that you're
Speaker A
I was trying to get into medical school and never got in, and Ben was trying to become a potter and nobody would buy his pottery, so we just decided to open up an ice cream parlor for fun.
Speaker A
that gets them out of poverty and um it's the first uh ice cream brand to make this total commitment the first global ice cream brand that will now be 100 fair traded as more fair traded ingredients become available we'll
Speaker A
And we didn't have any business training. We learned how to make ice cream from a correspondence course and how to make ice cream. We opened up in an old abandoned gas station and just started selling ice cream.
Topics:Ben CohenJerry GreenfieldBen and Jerry'sfair tradeice creamethical sourcingsocial responsibilitybusiness origin storyVermontfounders interview
