The Strategic Management Process: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

Background

In 1978, with a $5 ice cream making correspondence course from Penn State University and $12,000, childhood schoolmates Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield started an ice cream business in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont. Ben and Jerry’s quickly grew into a leading worldwide ice cream manufacturer, known for its innovative flavors and all-natural ingredients made from fresh Vermont milk and cream. Early flavors included Rainforest Crunch, Peace Pops, and Chocolate Cookie Dough. Ben & Jerry's also established a reputation of an anti-corporate style and charitable contributions of 7.5 percent of pretax profits.

Fast forward 20 years, to the
• Product images: anti-establishment, funky, caring • Distribution: nationwide with limited foreign distribution • Distributor types: supermarkets, groceries, convenience stores, franchised scoop shops and other venues. Outside Vermont, products are primarily distributed through Dreyer’s and independent regional ice cream distributors.

Ben & Jerry’s is founded