Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream

Brand origin and founding

Ben & Jerry's began as a single scoop shop opened by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield in Burlington, Vermont in May 1978 and grew into a specialty ice‑cream company known for its chunk‑filled flavors and social mission. (history.com)

Manufacturing and where products are made

The company’s packaged ice cream for North America has long been produced mainly in its Vermont plants (Waterbury and St. Albans) with additional production at Unilever/TMICC facilities in locations such as Henderson, Nevada and Simcoe, Ontario; European production has been made in Unilever/TMICC plants (for example Hellendoorn in the Netherlands and facilities in Italy), meaning manufacturing occurs across multiple countries. Overall, production is primarily in the United States but significant manufacturing for export and regional markets occurs in the Netherlands, Canada, Italy and other countries. (benjerry.com)

Ownership and corporate structure

Ben & Jerry's was sold to Unilever in 2000 while being structured to preserve an independent board and the brand’s social mission. In 2024–2025 Unilever announced and completed a demerger of its ice‑cream business; the global ice‑cream portfolio (including Ben & Jerry's) was placed into The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC), a separate ice‑cream‑focused company headquartered in Europe. As of the post‑spin‑off period, TMICC is the ultimate corporate owner of the Ben & Jerry’s brand. (en.wikipedia.org)

Local licensing, distribution and governance notes

Ben & Jerry's products are distributed through a mix of company‑owned manufacturing, regional TMICC/previously Unilever facilities, and local licensees in select markets (historically—including the Israeli licensee until its sale in 2022). The brand operates with an independent board and a stated social mission, which has led to high‑profile governance and public‑policy disputes with parent‑level owners in recent years. (en.wikipedia.org)