Ben & Jerry's

Ben Cohen

As if one needed another reason to eat ice cream, along came Ben & Jerry's with its emphasis on global do-gooding. The fruit of a $12,000 investment and a $5 correspondence course in ice-cream-making from Pennsylvania State University, the company — valued at $326 million when Unilever bought it in 2000 — set up the still-extant Ben & Jerry's Foundation with a whopping 7.5% of pre-tax profit to support environmental and social causes. While the brand is famous for such fanciful flavors as Phish Food and Vermonty Python, it struck out with Lemon Peppermint Carob Chip and Pepperoni Pizza with Anchovy Swirl (now in the Flavor Graveyard). Happy 57th birthday to cofounder Ben Cohen.

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From our Archives: Today's Highlights, March 18, 2008