The Tasty Tale of Ben & Jerry’s, As Told By Jerry — Transcript

You've seen his face before, maybe hundreds of times, depending on how much you like ice cream. He's been with you in times of great joy, maybe consoled you after a breakup, making life a little bit better one pint at a time. And there he is. Hello. The company Jerry Greenfield created with his childhood friend Ben Cohen helped define what a modern company could be. [Applause] Taking stands, often uncomfortably ahead of or at odds with public opinion.

at a time and there he is hello the company jerry greenfield created with his childhood friend ben cohen helped define what a modern company could be [Applause] taking stands often uncomfortably ahead of or at odds with public opinion

There was a lot of criticism. There was a lot of skepticism, even from inside the company. I spoke to Jerry to find out how he built a global business without compromising his social conscience. You can be the most caring company in the world. You can use the most responsibly sourced ingredients, but if the ice cream doesn't taste great, it's all for naught. So there are so many places I thought about starting with you, Jerry.

the most caring company in the world you can use the most responsibly sourced ingredients but if the ice cream doesn't taste great it's all for naught so there are so many places i i thought about starting with you

So let's go back. Let's go back to the beginning. How much of the original ethos was like baked in, as it were, right from the beginning? Like, what is it? What is the essence of it as you look back on those early days?

early days certainly ben and i are uh products of our upbringing and our environment we grew up in the 60s i don't know that we were hardcore hippies per se but we certainly believe in peace and love not as a cliche but

Certainly, Ben and I are products of our upbringing and our environment. We grew up in the '60s. I don't know that we were hardcore hippies per se, but we certainly believe in peace and love, not as a cliché, but that we're all in this together and our role as human beings is to help take care of each other. So when we started as a little homemade ice cream shop, our idea was to be a little corner store that would be a community gathering place. And we actually had no thoughts of being a business. We wanted the shop to be a reflection of who we were.

that would be a community gathering place and we actually had no thoughts of being a business we wanted the shop to be a reflection of who we were and so when did you know it was a business the first time it really seemed like a

And so when did you know it was a business? The first time it really seemed like a business was when we built an ice cream factory. We started packaging ice cream only because we couldn't really make it as an ice cream shop. It was too cold in Vermont. So we built a real mechanized ice cream plant, and Ben and I were there one day watching these pint containers come out of the ice cream machine, and it was just pint after pint after pint and gallon after gallon after gallon. And we said, "Boy, somebody's eating a lot of ice cream out there." You know, that's kind of when it sunk in.

ben and i were there one day watching these pint containers come out of the ice cream machine and it was just pint after pint after pint and gallon after gallon after gallon and we said boy somebody's eating a lot

Hi, I'm Ben. I'm Jerry. You know, we may not have the money to go on TV for 30 seconds, but we sure do make some of the best ice cream you ever tasted.

you ever tasted talk to me about your relationship with him you guys knew each other as kids i have to say you know i've looked at a lot of partnerships over the course of my reporting career there are very few

Talk to me about your relationship with him. You guys knew each other as kids. I have to say, you know, I've looked at a lot of partnerships over the course of my reporting career. There are very few that match up to this. Like, how do you explain that?

like the business to be starting with an anti-authoritarian bent which is kind of the fundamental part of ben he's very counter-cultural he's extremely creative so it's pretty unusual stuff that countercultural approach was baked in from the beginning and not especially

I think we really, really appreciate and treasure our friendship, which is kind of at the bottom of everything. And so we have a very similar worldview and view of what we would like the business to be, starting with an anti-authoritarian bent, which is kind of the fundamental part of Ben. He's very counter-cultural. He's extremely creative. So it's pretty unusual stuff.

about like well we should weigh in on this issue where we shouldn't weigh in on that issue right no it's uh it's based on values things like environmental justice and no fairness in bombing and killing and drone striking

That countercultural approach was baked in from the beginning and not especially methodical. The pair drew on a worldview that started as kids, was cultivated through their adolescence and early adulthood, and never really left them.

ice cream throughout all of this you're not a you know a big bad corporation you're you know you're selling chunky monkey and cherry garcia i think it really helped making ice cream is something that has allowed ben and jerry's to

When you talk about the social mission, it doesn't feel like you're doing a lot of market research about, like, "Well, we should weigh in on this issue, where we shouldn't weigh in on that issue," right?

ice cream and if the ice cream doesn't taste great it's all for naught so you still have to do all the other business stuff that an ice cream company does you have to make great ice cream you need to get it distributed

No, it's based on values. Things like environmental justice and no fairness in bombing and killing and drone striking other people like us, and standing up for people whose voices are often not heard. And that's, you know, pretty different from a corporate approach.

you're talking about actually does lead me to to this clip that that i want you to watch and it's from chico lager fred lager who goes by chico served as the general manager and later ceo of ben and jerry's

And do you think it helped, hurt, or was neutral that you're selling ice cream throughout all of this? You're not a, you know, a big bad corporation. You're, you know, you're selling Chunky Monkey and Cherry Garcia.

deliver a return to the shareholders you know you want to sell you're selling ice cream you're selling a fun product and everybody eats ice cream but not everybody believes in the values that ben and jerry held and the question

I think it really helped. Making ice cream is something that has allowed Ben and Jerry's to talk about pretty serious issues, get involved in pretty serious issues, and combine it with ice cream. And it allows us to talk with people and connect with people about serious things in a pretty fun way. But in the end, it all comes down to the ice cream. And if the ice cream doesn't taste great, it's all for naught.

and more and you know i have plenty of republican friends and they still eat the ice cream because it tastes really really good but there was this tension there's no denying it ben and jerry and i are are still very close and good friends

So you still have to do all the other business stuff that an ice cream company does. You have to make great ice cream. You need to get it distributed. You need to make sure it's kept cold. So it's kind of interesting. Sometimes people think it's a magic bullet if you have a social conscience, and in a way, it makes things more complex.

drama and wish that we had but really good things emerged you know from that tension and ultimately i think resulted in a business that was uh both successful financially but also succeeded on a product and social basis as well

So, you know, this notion of exactly what you're talking about actually does lead me to this clip that I want you to watch. And it's from Chico Lager, Fred Lager, who goes by Chico. Served as the general manager and later CEO of Ben and Jerry's back in the early 1980s.

you know it's not just the the two of you very quickly you sort of do have to draw consensus and you're walking these lines in many ways and it's not easy it's not easy and i think there was this

To be honest, I mean, there was this tension between the urge of the founders to be more social mission-driven and the responsibility that myself and my management team felt to make money, to make a profit, and to deliver a return to the shareholders. You know, you want to sell—you're selling ice cream. You're selling a fun product, and everybody eats ice cream, but not everybody believes in the values that Ben and Jerry held. And the question is, do you want to alienate half the population that perhaps doesn't agree with everything that you're advocating for?

back at that time there really weren't a lot of businesses doing it and there were no books about how to do it and you didn't know where it was going to take it and the time that we were really trying to decide what are

In hindsight, it worked because the people who were attracted to the business became fiercely loyal and wanted to support the business more and more. And, you know, I have plenty of Republican friends, and they still eat the ice cream because it tastes really, really good. But there was this tension. There's no denying it. Ben and Jerry and I are still very close and good friends, and, you know, all of us look back on it and go, you know, boy, you know, we all could have figured out a way to have done that in a much more amiable way and with a little less drama and wish that we had. But really good things emerged, you know, from that tension and ultimately, I think, resulted in a business that was both successful financially but also succeeded on a product and social basis as well.

and that that's who we are and we're either gonna do it or die trying yeah but you know the other amazing thing about ben is i don't think he ever had any doubt that it was gonna work you know

You should just do your entire interview with Chico. He sort of summed a lot up there, didn't he?

consciences hasn't just meant prioritizing a social mission it's also meant repeatedly wading into some of the most controversial issues of the day when you think of that sort of activism evolving you know and choosing specific issues and same-sex marriage i think is

Yeah, Chico's great.

during the cold war ben and jerry's came out with a product a chocolate covered ice cream bar on a stick and decided to call it a peace pop and on the packaging it talked about redirecting one percent of the military

Yeah. So when you look back to, you know, like building the team and all of that, and, you know, it's not just the two of you. Very quickly, you sort of do have to draw consensus, and you're walking these lines in many ways, and it's not easy.

but even people who didn't agree could respect the fact that the company was taking a position on an issue that was in the common good but lofty ideals didn't seem to jive with the controversial decision by ben and jerry's

It's not easy. And I think there was this struggle. There was this, what are we going to be as a business? Are we going to be more of a traditional business, let's say, or are we going to try to do something different? And I think it's helpful to understand that back at that time, there really weren't a lot of businesses doing it, and there were no books about how to do it, and you didn't know where it was going to take it.

would likely not passionately share the social values that ben and jerry's had and it turns out we couldn't stop the sale because at the time ben and jerry's was a public company which meant anybody could purchase shares and

And the time that we were really trying to decide what are we going to be, Ben essentially said, "All right, we're doing it, and you're either on the bus or you're off the bus."

they put in a new ceo at ben and jerry's that things really got better many of these issues of food security or employment or climate change cannot be managed by focusing on the quarter to quarter you have to be sure that we value things

And when you say you're on the bus, meaning we're going to be a company of purpose and mission, and that's who we are, and we're either gonna do it or die trying.

for same-sex marriage and when ben juries publicly supported occupy wall street [Applause] which was essentially an anti-corporate movement and in 2015 when the company publicly supported black lives matter when george floyd was killed in the summer of last year ben and jerry's

Yeah. But, you know, the other amazing thing about Ben is I don't think he ever had any doubt that it was gonna work.

company was able to speak out so strongly and so clearly because it had been doing the work for the last five years it wasn't as if the george floyd murder happened and the company said well we got to do something about it the

You know, Ben viewed this as an experiment. He didn't view it as, "Oh, we need to make a successful business." He viewed it as, "Let's see what we can do. Let's see what business can be."

was about racial justice and criminal justice and so that led up to the george floyd murder and the company being able to say we must dismantle white supremacy and to ben and me one of the most wonderful things

For Ben and Jerry, following their consciences hasn't just meant prioritizing a social mission. It's also meant repeatedly wading into some of the most controversial issues of the day. When you think of that sort of activism evolving, you know, and choosing specific issues, and same-sex marriage, I think, is a really interesting one. Stepping out in that way required a certa-

that the company came out very strong and it was wonderful and so as as we wrap up i i want to talk about that because you know there are very few people very few people who literally put their name on something

that becomes a a global brand and i mean what is the feeling of opening up a freezer or walking into a store and like that's your name on on uh on a pint of ice cream what does that feel like

uh i will say i don't connect that much when i open up a freezer door and look at a pint of ben and jerry's [Music] when i think about the 43 years of ben and jerry's i think about

my my friendship with ben doing some crazy adventures as part of the business using its voice to speak out on issues that are controversial and i think about how lucky i am i try to explain this for people

that you know being jerry from ben and jerry's whenever i meet anybody they just automatically are warm and trusting and assume good things about me and everybody ought to have the opportunity to go through life where people you meet are warm and trusting

and friendly it's it's an amazing thing you