5.) Beer & Jerry’s
Ben & Jerry’s also has an official New Belgium Beer flavor! There is also, of course, a New Belgium themed ice cream, that way you don’t have to decide between a pint of beer or a pint of ice cream. New Belgiums website describes the beer’s aroma as “Rich brownie batter, roasted malt and malted milk balls. Vanilla and caramel intertwined with dried cherries and raisins. Hints of cocoa powder and almonds.” That. Sounds. Fucking. Amazing.
4.) Flavor Gurus
All of Ben & Jerry’s flavors are created by their “flavor gurus.” These guys and girls are responsible for all of the amazing flavors we know and love (although some, like Cherry Garcia, have been suggestions from customers.) If you thought your job was sweet you are about to be pretty jealous, these guys get to travel every year on what are known as “trend trecks.” During these treks the gurus get to visit various cities and order every desert at local restaurants in order to discover new flavors and trends. Now that is sweet.
3.) Dairy Do-Gooders
Often times people may feel bad about eating ice cream because it isn’t necessarily healthy, but at least with Ben & Jerry’s you know it is free of artificial hormones! The company’s Caring Dairy program ensures that they use only sustainable farming techniques and no artificial hormones. These guys actually treat their cows so well that they even receive regular massages. Because of this, the company won the Compassion in World Farming’s Good Dairy Award in 2013 and they continue these best practices even today.
2.) No Big Money in Politics
As I said before Ben & Jerry no longer have any official responsibilities at the company; this is apparently because they have bigger fish to fry. The two are completely focused on Stamp Stampede, which is a project meant to raise awareness of how much influence money has in politics. The idea is simple, you can use the nonprofit’s stamp (which you can get here) to put a small message about money in politics on a dollar bill, the bill will inevitably change hands hundreds of times over its lifespan, thus spreading the message.
1.) Activism & Ice Cream
Stamp Stampede & Caring Dairy are FAR from the only charitable programs Ben & Jerry’s is focused on. For one, they believe that all foods containing GMOs should be labeled so consumers know what they are consuming. Climate change also sits high on Ben & Jerry’s list of things they care about, and the company has raised money to help the situation many times. Their website also provides a ton of information on climate change and why you should care. To show support for LGBT equality the company changed the name of “Chubby Hubby” to “Hubby Hubby.” They were also the first large business in Vermont to offer health insurance to domestic partners of homosexual employees. On top of this the company also fights for peace building, fair trade, getting big money out of politics, and getting rid of rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone.)
