Ben and Jerry are Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the co-founders of Ben & Jerry's, an American ice cream company. They have been friends since childhood and started the company in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont. Initially planning to open a bagel shop, they switched to ice cream after completing a correspondence course in ice cream making. Ben Cohen has anosmia, a lack of sense of smell, which influenced their signature ice cream style with chunks for texture. They invested $12,000 to open their first ice cream parlor and grew it into a global brand known for its creative flavors and social activism. The company was sold to Unilever in 2000 but operated as an independent subsidiary.
Jerry Greenfield recently resigned from Ben & Jerry's, citing conflicts with Unilever over the company's ability to pursue its social and political mission.