Jerry Greenfield
Encyclopedia
Jerry Greenfield is a co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc.
Throughout his childhood, Greenfield lived in New York
, on Long Island
. In 1969, he enrolled at Oberlin College
, where he followed a pre-med curriculum
before graduating in 1973. He applied unsuccessfully for medical school in two successive years, 1973 and 1974.
In 1978 Greenfield and his friend Ben Cohen
opened Ben and Jerry's Homemade ice cream scoop shop in an old gas station in downtown Burlington, Vermont
. The company has since opened almost 200 franchised
shops and reports earnings of $237 million annually.
and split up to attend separate colleges.
Greenfield was known for being hard-working and studious throughout high school and when he chose to pursue a pre-med curriculum at Oberlin, it took nobody by surprise. At Oberlin, Greenfield began working as an ice cream scooper in the school's cafeteria. His favorite class was "Carnival Techniques," where he learned tricks such as eating fire, something he claims to do still on rare occasions.
After graduating in 1973, Greenfield failed twice to get into medical school. At this point, Greenfield decided to move back to New York where he shared an apartment with Cohen on East 10th Street and worked as a lab technician. In 1974, Greenfield tried another time to enter medical school, but when rejected, he decided to move to North Carolina
with his future wife, Elizabeth Skarie, where he continued to work as a lab technician.
In 1976, Greenfield moved back north, this time to live with Cohen in Saratoga Springs, New York
, where the pair began putting their dream of owning their own business. After initially considering opening a bagel
shop, the pair turned their attention to ice cream because the equipment for such a shop was much cheaper. After taking a five dollar correspondence course in ice-cream making, the cost of which they split, the two searched for a warm-weather college town to open up shop in before settling on Burlington, Vermont. Ben & Jerry's opened in the summer of 1978.
During the 1980s, Greenfield left the business to support Elizabeth in Arizona
as she pursued a Ph.D. in psychology
. The couple returned to Vermont in 1985, when Greenfield assumed the position of Director of Mobile Promotions.
In 1987, Greenfield married Elizabeth, and in 1988, their son Tyrone was born. He currently resides in Williston, Vermont
, a small town, just outside of Burlington.
, as the location for their shop.
After choosing their town, the two businessmen needed to find a suitable building. They decided on an old gas station and began looking for financing. With a combined savings totaling around $8,000, Greenfield and Cohen began searching for a bank to lend them money. Repeatedly they found themselves rejected because the gas station could only be leased for one year at a time and it was judged unwise to invest large amounts of capital in such a venture. Finally they managed to receive a $4,000 loan and began renovating the station. On May 5, 1978, the parlor opened and throughout the summer experienced success, however, the pair struggled throughout the winter.
In 1980, after experiencing initial success in their attempts to distribute their ice cream to restaurants throughout Vermont, the company moved to a larger facility and began packaging ice cream in pint size containers. In 1984, Häagen-Dazs
tried to limit distribution of Ben & Jerry’s in Boston
, prompting Ben & Jerry’s to file suit against Häagen-Dazs' parent company, Pillsbury, in its now famous “What’s the Doughboy Afraid Of?” campaign. In 1987 Häagen-Dazs again tried to enforce exclusive distribution, and Ben & Jerry’s filed its second lawsuit against the Pillsbury Company.
In April 2000, Ben & Jerry's was bought by the multinational
food giant, Unilever
. Since the purchase, Greenfield and Cohen remain active in the company, but claim they have “no responsibility, no authority.”
Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's is an American ice cream company, a division of the British-Dutch Unilever conglomerate, that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream novelty products, manufactured by Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc., headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont, United...
Throughout his childhood, Greenfield lived in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. In 1969, he enrolled at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, where he followed a pre-med curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
before graduating in 1973. He applied unsuccessfully for medical school in two successive years, 1973 and 1974.
In 1978 Greenfield and his friend Ben Cohen
Ben Cohen (ice cream)
Ben Cohen , is a co-founder of the ice cream company Ben & Jerry's.-Early life:Raised in the town of Merrick on Long Island by his parents Frances and Irving, Cohen first met and befriended his future business partner, Jerry Greenfield, in a junior high school gym class in 1963...
opened Ben and Jerry's Homemade ice cream scoop shop in an old gas station in downtown Burlington, Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
. The company has since opened almost 200 franchised
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
shops and reports earnings of $237 million annually.
Life
Jerry Greenfield was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of a stockbroker, in 1951. He lived on Long Island throughout his youth until he left to attend Oberlin College in 1969. In 1963, Greenfield met Ben Cohen during gym class at Merrick Avenue Junior High School. Their initial bond formed when the gym teacher yelled at them for running the mile too slow and warned they would have to run a second mile. At this point, Cohen yelled back, "Gee coach, if I don't do it in under seven minutes the first time, I'm certainly not going to do it in under seven minutes the second time", at which point, Greenfield knew he liked him. Over the next few years, their friendship grew until the two graduated from Calhoun High SchoolSanford H. Calhoun High School
Sanford H. Calhoun High School is a high school located in Merrick, New York, United States. It is one of three high schools in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District...
and split up to attend separate colleges.
Greenfield was known for being hard-working and studious throughout high school and when he chose to pursue a pre-med curriculum at Oberlin, it took nobody by surprise. At Oberlin, Greenfield began working as an ice cream scooper in the school's cafeteria. His favorite class was "Carnival Techniques," where he learned tricks such as eating fire, something he claims to do still on rare occasions.
After graduating in 1973, Greenfield failed twice to get into medical school. At this point, Greenfield decided to move back to New York where he shared an apartment with Cohen on East 10th Street and worked as a lab technician. In 1974, Greenfield tried another time to enter medical school, but when rejected, he decided to move to North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
with his future wife, Elizabeth Skarie, where he continued to work as a lab technician.
In 1976, Greenfield moved back north, this time to live with Cohen in Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
, where the pair began putting their dream of owning their own business. After initially considering opening a bagel
Bagel
A bagel is a bread product, traditionally shaped by hand into the form of a ring from yeasted wheat dough, roughly hand-sized, which is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior...
shop, the pair turned their attention to ice cream because the equipment for such a shop was much cheaper. After taking a five dollar correspondence course in ice-cream making, the cost of which they split, the two searched for a warm-weather college town to open up shop in before settling on Burlington, Vermont. Ben & Jerry's opened in the summer of 1978.
During the 1980s, Greenfield left the business to support Elizabeth in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
as she pursued a Ph.D. in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
. The couple returned to Vermont in 1985, when Greenfield assumed the position of Director of Mobile Promotions.
In 1987, Greenfield married Elizabeth, and in 1988, their son Tyrone was born. He currently resides in Williston, Vermont
Williston, Vermont
Williston is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 8,698 at the 2010 census, an increase of over 1,000 people since the 2000 census...
, a small town, just outside of Burlington.
Ben & Jerry's
Greenfield and Cohen began looking for a proper location for their ice cream parlor in 1977. The criteria that they set down was that the location should be a college town, since they assumed college students ate a lot of ice cream, and that it should be warm. After comparing information from almanacs and a guide to American colleges, the pair realized that every warm college town already had an ice cream shop and settled on Burlington, Vermont, the home of the University of VermontUniversity of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
, as the location for their shop.
After choosing their town, the two businessmen needed to find a suitable building. They decided on an old gas station and began looking for financing. With a combined savings totaling around $8,000, Greenfield and Cohen began searching for a bank to lend them money. Repeatedly they found themselves rejected because the gas station could only be leased for one year at a time and it was judged unwise to invest large amounts of capital in such a venture. Finally they managed to receive a $4,000 loan and began renovating the station. On May 5, 1978, the parlor opened and throughout the summer experienced success, however, the pair struggled throughout the winter.
In 1980, after experiencing initial success in their attempts to distribute their ice cream to restaurants throughout Vermont, the company moved to a larger facility and began packaging ice cream in pint size containers. In 1984, Häagen-Dazs
Häagen-Dazs
Häagen-Dazs is a brand of ice cream, established by Jewish-Polish immigrants Reuben and Rose Mattus in the Bronx, New York, in 1961. Starting with only three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and coffee, the company opened its first retail store in Brooklyn, New York, on November 15, 1976...
tried to limit distribution of Ben & Jerry’s in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, prompting Ben & Jerry’s to file suit against Häagen-Dazs' parent company, Pillsbury, in its now famous “What’s the Doughboy Afraid Of?” campaign. In 1987 Häagen-Dazs again tried to enforce exclusive distribution, and Ben & Jerry’s filed its second lawsuit against the Pillsbury Company.
In April 2000, Ben & Jerry's was bought by the multinational
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
food giant, Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
. Since the purchase, Greenfield and Cohen remain active in the company, but claim they have “no responsibility, no authority.”