Ben & Jerry's blew us all away last month when they revealed their new Core flavors. As long-time fans of Ben & Jerry's, we'd like to think we know a lot about one of our favorite ice cream makers, but the Ben & Jerry's Core flavors really threw us for a loop. They proved, yet again, the company's enduring ability to surprise us. Time and again Ben & Jerry's wows us with something new and totally awesome.
This latest invention got us thinking: what else don't we know about Ben & Jerry's? A lot, apparently. Did you know, for example, that the original concept they had was a bagel shop? Or that they make their own waffle cones fresh in the stores?
Advertisement
Here are 17 surprising things about Ben & Jerry's that will make you love them even more:
1
The original concept Ben and Jerry had was to open a bagel company.
David McGlynn via Getty Images
We'd probably love Ben & Jerry's Bagels too.
2
Ben wanted to call the company “Josephine’s Flying Machine.”
Bikerock/Flickr
Jerry wasn't a fan.
3
The company started with a 12,000 dollar investment.
Dan Van Oss via Getty Images
And a $5 correspondence course in ice cream-making from Penn State.
Advertisement
4
The only thing Ben and Jerry ever fought about was the size of the chunks.
Facebook/Ben & Jerrys
Ben wanted big chunks and eventually got his way.
5
There's a real flavor graveyard.
Dougtone/Flickr
Where discontinued flavors like Oatmeal Cookie Chunk (RIP) go to die.
6
Ben & Jerry's employees make the waffle cones fresh in stores.
Facebook/Ben&Jerry's
They even make the batter from scratch. That's why they taste so good!
Advertisement
7
On average, there are 259 little squares on a waffle cone.
Holger Leue via Getty Images
(Or 259 crevices for the ice cream to fill.)
8
The Ben & Jerry's headquarters is a dog-friendly office.
GK Hart/Vikki Hart via Getty Images
Because of course it is.
9
The first pint flavors were...
Ben & Jerry's
Oreo Mint, French Vanilla, Chocolate Fudge, Wild Blueberry, Mocha Walnut, Maple Walnut, Honey Coffee and Honey Orange.
Advertisement
10
The worst-selling flavors of all time were...
Ben & Jerry's
1) Sugar Plum: In the first three weeks it was on store shelves it sold ONE pint! And 2) Mocha Walnut: According to Ben, “Mocha Walnut is my all-time favorite flavor, but when we packed it in pints, it turned out to be our all-time worst-selling ice cream. Jerry is fond of saying that there is no accounting for personal taste.”
11
There's a special name for someone who mines through a pint for the big chunks:
Ben & Jerry's
A Chunk Spelunker!
12
There is a slide in the Ben & Jerry's office lobby.
Ben & Jerry's
It sounds like a real-life Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.
Advertisement
13
Ben & Jerry’s employees can take home 3 pints a day.
Facebook/Ben & Jerry's
14
The machinery used to create the Core flavors is based on a German sausage maker.
Facebook/Ben & Jerry's
The core flavors taste nothing like sausage, however. At least not yet.
15
Ben & Jerry's receives 13,000 flavor suggestions every year.
Facebook/Ben & Jerry's
That's a lot of flavors.
Advertisement
16
New Core flavors are in the works.
Ben & Jerry's
THANK GOD!
17
Ben and Jerry have been friends since they were little kids.
Ben & Jerry's
Ben explains, "We were the two slowest, fattest kids in gym class. There was the whole class running around the track, and then half a lap behind there were two guys. So we were connected from the beginning."
Related
Before You Go
