Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings Inc., trading and commonly known as Ben & Jerry's, is an American company that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet. Founded in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont, the company went from a single ice cream parlor to a multi-national brand over the course of a few decades. The company was sold in 2000 to the multinational conglomerate Unilever but operates as an independent subsidiary. Its present-day headquarters is in South Burlington, Vermont, with its factory in Waterbury, Vermont.
Factory in Waterbury, Vermont
Jerry Greenfield (left) and Ben Cohen (right) in 2010
Ben & Jerry's display freezer at a Domino's store
Ben & Jerry's ice-cream branch at the United Square Shopping Mall in Singapore
Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food colouring is sometimes added in addition to stabilizers. The mixture is cooled below the freezing point of water and stirred to incorporate air spaces and prevent detectable ice crystals from forming. It can also be made by whisking a flavoured cream base and liquid nitrogen together. The result is a smooth, semi-solid foam that is solid at very low temperatures. It becomes more malleable as its temperature increases.
Vanilla ice cream served with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a wafer
Kulfi in a matka pot from India
Noblewomen eating ice cream in a French caricature, 1801
Title page to The Art of Cookery by Hannah Glasse