A visit to the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Vermont, USA will prove two things: one, that real life versions of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory do exist, and two, that no one takes flavours as seriously as Ben & Jerry’s.
After all, this is the brand that not only gave us icons like Half Baked and Phish Food, but also quite literally has a ‘flavour graveyard’ to honour the ice creams now out of service (RIP kings).
When I was lucky enough to visit the Ben & Jerry’s factory earlier this year, I was given the inside scoop (heheh) how the famous flavours come to life, as well as the opportunity to create my own. And since your favourite ice cream is supposedly a personality test, I of course asked the IRL Ben & Jerry — co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield — for their favourite flavours.
“Americone Dreams,” Jerry said instantly.
“It used to be Heath Bar Crunch,” Ben said thoughtfully, “then it was Cherry Garcia, and then it was Super Fudge Chunk, and then it was Chubby Hubby, but now, it’s Vanilla ice cream on wheat thin crackers. It’s a salty and sweet kind of thing, it’s crunchy, it’s creamy.”
“Ben’s on a journey,” Jerry quipped.
The men, the myth, the legends. (Credit: Supplied)
Ben’s changing favourite flavour might have something to do with his anosmia, a condition that means he can’t smell or taste most flavours. There’s no cure, but there is a way to make eating more pleasurable: by focusing on the texture. It’s why every Ben & Jerry’s scoop comes with chunks (think: fudge brownies, cookie dough, caramel or marshmallow).
“Ben came up with all these flavours and he wants all these crunchy, chunky things because of texture,” Jerry said. “And for years, Ben has said he’s anti-mush. He doesn’t want mush in his life!”
Anosmia is a condition more people might be familiar with post-Covid. “You know one of the symptoms was that people lost their sense of smell,” Ben said. “All of a sudden, there’s all these people talking about how horrible it is. This is my life.”
He likens those rare moments when he does taste or smell something to a blind person suddenly being able to see.
“I smelled beer for the first time a few days ago,” he said. “I remember the first time I smelled oranges. I was in an orange grove and orchard in Florida and was just overcome with the smell of oranges.”
So how do these chunky, anti-mush ice cream flavours come to life?
I put my taste buds — and my lactose intolerance — to the test.
How The Ice Cream Gets Made
Back at Ben & Jerry’s HQ, we were taken to the flavour test kitchen. Bypassing a literal slide, the office gives such a fun, Google-esque vibe which matches the entire energy of the company. Also spotting copious dogs on the way which was a total treat.
The ice cream making begins at the brainstorm, much like all incredible creations. Then it’s up to science, crafted by the company’s The Flavour Gurus (dream job alert). Brainstorming sessions can happen company-wide, meeting in the office Town Hall to pick the marvellous minds of employees OR left to the Ben & Jerry’s fanbase as daily, fans drop in their ideas online in hopes that one day it’ll make it to the shelves.
When it came to creating my own ice cream flavour, I was operating with a sense of chaos. My creativity deserved to shine. In the words of Marshall Mathers, I had one shot. One opportunity. I was not going to blow it.
I decided on: dill.
Yes. You read that correctly.
More specifically, I chose to create something inspired by France, in honour of my 700-day Duolingo streak (yes, that’s a flex). Think: croissants, the smell of the grass beneath the Eiffel Tower and sweet, sugary crepes. What colour is the Seine today? What are the rich and famous nibbling on in the South of France?
On god’s country. (Credit: Supplied)
Eventually, I landed on the rogue idea to combine a baguette with butter ice cream, the addition of pie crust pieces and freshening it up with dill, infusing this into a sweet caramel sauce.
Making the ice cream was a labour of love. All the cutting, soaking, chopping and churning was, in a way, very therapeutic. The process of creating texture begins immediately and I got to work literally juicing a baguette for all it’s worth. The process of squeezing and mushing it to drain the flavours from the bread. To describe it, imagine French toast gone wrong but in all the right ways. Nummies.
Incorporating the dill meant snipping tiny stems into fresh caramel syrup. Which was oddly satisfying. The kitchen began to fill with earthy herb, caramel, and baked bread aromas as the masterpiece took shape.
We aimed to replicate the baguette experience, with its tiny bread fragments falling into your lap and getting stuck on your lips. To do this, we added pie crust pieces for their crunchy yet velvety texture, without altering the bready flavour.
In the test kitchen, it’s a race against time. After churning and a quick freeze, we created a swirl by spinning and piping the dilled-caramel syrup into the baguette-infused ice cream.
Finally, my creation was ready: ‘Baguette In-Dill-Gence’.
It tasted surprisingly… delicious? It was almost like hitting every sense in one initial spoonful. It starts with the creamy, buttery ice cream then you can feel and hear the soft crunch of the pie pieces. It’s not until it hits the back of the throat, that’s when the dill ignites your palette. I thought to myself ‘I’m kind of a genius with this one?!’
I know you’re DYING to try it. I get it. But, I must disclaim that my creation will not be available on shelves at your local Woolies.
The trip itself was an experience only very few will ever have the opportunity to do and I’m forever grateful. There’s still so much to learn about the importance of texture in ice cream, a concept championed by Ben despite his inability to smell or taste some ingredients.
My creation is a testament to the creativity and dedication that goes into every pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, proving that even the quirkiest ideas can lead to delicious results.
The writer travelled as a guest of Ben & Jerry’s.
The post I Visited The Ben & Jerry’s Factory & Got The Inside Scoop On How Ice Cream Flavours Get Made appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
