PEDESTRIAN.TV has teamed up with Ben & Jerry’s to give you the inside scoop on how it’s made.
Did you know that Ben and Jerry are actually real people? I certainly didn’t, and basically melted when our very own Lachy Smith met them IRL at the home of Ben & Jerry’s in Burlington, Vermont.
Their real names are Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, and the dynamic duo first became besties in 7th-grade PE class and took a $5 course on ice cream making after graduation. They then turned their passion and knowledge for sweet treats into a fully-fledged scoop shop inside a renovated gas station in 1978.
Lachy got this inside scoop when he ventured over to their Willy-Wonka-esque dairy emporium and found out about all the good stuff that goes into those delicious pints. It also turns out they’ve done a bunch behind the scenes to support social causes and reduce their environmental impact, too. We quite frankly, love to see this from Ben & Jerry’s.
Step 1: The foundations
Before we even get into how the ice cream is made, we need to go to the start of the process — the ingredients. Every farm’s cattle is checked to ensure they’re spoilt rotten. Farming the beautiful creatures is a gruelling job too, and Ben & Jerry’s ensures farmers are paid well as part of the Milk with Dignity program.
The ice cream brand has fed their cows’ seaweed since the 9th of May, 2022. Yup, seaweed reduces Ben & Jerry’s cows’ toots and burps going into the atmosphere. Brominata (a dehydrated form of farmed red seaweed) actually reduces methane emissions (global warming anyone) from cows’ burps by up to 80%, which is wild.
Now we’ve got the milk, I want to know why Ben & Jerry’s tastes so good. It might have something to do with the fact that in 2006, Ben & Jerry’s was one of the first ice cream companies in the world to use Fairtrade Certified ingredients and ensure that the core ingredients of their products (sugar, vanilla, cocoa and banana) were all ethically sourced. (This basically means paying a fair price for small-scale farmers’ products so the big dogs don’t push them out.)
The secret is the blend tank, where the ingredients listed below are “blenderised” together, creating the beloved creamy texture. Write that down, write that down.
Ben & Jerry’s employ flavour gurus who come up with the incredible combinations you love. The gurus take a fan favourite, such as peanut butter ice cream, and add something unique, like pretzels and fudge brownies. Lachy was also surprised to learn from flavour guru Nat, why Ben & Jerry’s is considered super-premium. Turns out most ice cream brands use a lot of air, while Ben & Jerry’s use more butterfat — which creates that famous dense texture.
Step 2: Adding the chunks
We have Ben to thank for Ben & Jerry’s signature chunks, which I still fight my sister for when we share a pint. This all came about because of his Anosmia, a condition that impacts his sense of smell. Ben’s sensory shortcoming inspired the inclusion of “crunchy, chunky things” in Ben & Jerry’s signature formula.
One of the most famous chunky flavours is the Choc Chip Cookie Dough. The chunks not only create the delish sensory explosion we know from Ben & Jerry’s but also help local workers. The ice cream company collaborates with Rhino Foods to craft the Choc Chip Cookie Dough chunks. Rhino Foods has hired refugees since the 1990s during the Bosnian and Herzegovina crisis.
The company has not only changed how we eat ice cream but also aims to make a difference for people and the planet. By switching their chocolate chunks, Ben & Jerry’s joined Tony’s Open Chain mission to help end modern slavery and child labour in the cocoa industry. Next, Ben & Jerry’s add the chunks to the feeder, where the flavours are swirled in. It turns out the fancy word for swirl is “variegate,” which Ben & Jerry’s is famous for.
Another way Ben & Jerry’s spreads good vibes is by partnering with like-minded businesses to source additional ingredients for their products. For example, New York’s Greyston Bakery (whose fudgy brownies go in Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream) uses an ‘open hiring’ staffing model in which resumes, interviews, and background checks are omitted from the hiring process to ensure a broad range of folks have the opportunity for employment.
Before it’s sent out, the quality assurance team ensures it’s up to standard. The ice cream is then sent to you and other ice cream lovers around the world, whether it’s via grocery stores, convenience stores and their scoop shops across Australia and New Zealand.
Step 3: Making a difference
Ben & Jerry’s may not have all the answers right now, but it’s clear the company has thrived by doing things differently. For example, on the 11th of June, 2015, Ben & Jerry’s protested coal spoil being dumped into the Great Barrier Reef by sending two divers in cow costumes holding signs reading “Scoop Ice Cream, not the reef.”
So, while you’re chomping down on your sweet treat, you can be relieved to know that Ben & Jerry’s is working in the background to support social causes such as racial justice, refugee and LGBTQ+ rights, and democracy.
When a Ben & Jerry’s pint gets to your freezer, it’s already done so much good. So, I guess I’ll do my part for the world and get a tub — you pulled my arm. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream, anyone? It’ll taste even sweeter now that we know the secret behind the chunks, thanks Ben.
The post Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Can’t Smell — And It Changed The Entire Ice Cream Industry appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
