Ben & Jerry’s Franchise Information

Last Updated on July 22, 2012 by DeanR

Ben & Jerry’s Franchise

Ben and Jerry’s is a franchise for an ice cream parlor.

Ben and Jerry’s Information

It all started in 1977 when Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfiled finished taking up a course on ice cream maing in Pennsylvania State University. In 1978, they only had $12,000 to invest and opened their first store at an old gas station in Burlington, Vermont. In 1979, they marked their first anniversary by giving free cones. It has since become a one day a year tradition. They also created the “World’s Largest Ice Cream Sundae” in 1983 in St. Albans, Vermont. It weighed around 27,102 pounds.
In 1985, a foundation was established by Ben and Jerry’s.
They modified a “cowmobile” that they used to give away free scoops of ice cream all over the country and Ben and Jerry served the ice creams themselves. President Ronald Reagan awarded the two with “Small Business Persons of the Year” in 1988. On that same year, they got their first brownies from Greystone Bakery which started “Chocolate Fudge Brownie”.  Ben and Jerry’s have participated in several social awareness activities. In April 2000, they were acquired by Unilever. Ben and Jerry were still engaged in their social missions but neither one of them holds any management position.
Ben and Jerry’s have also played a big role in historical occasions such as being the first ice cream to be taken in a space ship and brought to outer space. They also changed a flavour name to “Yes Pecan” right after President Obama won the elections and donated all the proceeds to the “Common Cause Education Fund”. Another one in 2009 was renaming “Chubby Hubby” to “Hubby Hubby” to celebrate the same-sex marriage legalization in Vermont.

What flavours is Ben and Jerry’s ice cream known for?

The milk they use comes from the St. Albans, Vermont straight from family farms and co-ops. They transport it to the factory they pumped in silos until they are ready to use it to make ice creams and yogurts. Their flavour includes Cheesecake Brownie, Chunky Monkey, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Milk and Cookies, Neapolitan Dynamite, Strawberry Banana, Smores, Berried Treasure, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. They also have the Froyo collection which includes Cherry Garcia, Black Raspberry, and Vanilla Frozen Yogurt. They also have novelty products such as shirts, caps, scoops, bowl sets, and mugs which their customers can purchase to show their appreciation for Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and social contributions.

Costs and requirements of a Ben and Jerry’s Franchise

What do you need to become a franchisee?You need to have a net worth of $200,000 and total liquid assets of at least $80,000.Total investment would be at around $143,400-$446,100.Franchise fee is $32,000 with an on-going royalty fee of 3%.This is for a renewable 10 year term agreement.They don’t allow absentee ownership.

Ben and Jerry’s Franchise Training and Support

What’s included in the franchise? There will be 11 days training at the headquarters and 5 days at your location. Part of the on-going support is the newsletters, meetings, a toll-free number, assistance in the grand opening, and evaluations from the headquarters to help you monitor your progress. For marketing support, Ben and Jerry’s Franchise includes ad slicks, national and regional advertising, and co-op advertising.

Ben and Jerry’s Franchise Contact Details

You may reach them at:
Phone: (802)846-1500
Address: 30 Community Dr. South Burlington, Vermont 05403
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