Let’s face it, the world is currently in complete shambles. Aside from the everlasting battle against COVID-19, our forests are burning, our presidential candidates are bickering immaturely, and our collective sanity is wearing thin. As we venture into yet another month in these overwhelming times, the world feels as uncertain as ever–each day is more difficult to conquer than the previous. The suffering inhabitants of this planet deserve some comfort, just a single iota of sweetness, amongst the torrential tornado of terror that has been 2020. Something to remind us that there is still goodness left in the world. That there is still the potential for Earth to be a happy place. And what purer thing is there to remind a man in despair that life is, in fact, sweet, than ice cream? But not just any ice cream, the true embodiment of goodness, the symbol of morality and kindness, the Godly entity that is Ben and Jerry’s.

              The company is not only a source of scrumptious ice cream, but a symbol of the inclusion and goodness in humanity that we all so desperately crave a taste of at this precise moment in time. From the beginning,, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield have been committed to bring a smile to anyone who tries their delightful products. In 1978, the Vermont-based best friends decided to sign up for a $5 ice cream making course at Penn State, unaware of the glory they’d soon unleash upon the world. One $4000 loan and suped-up gas station later, the first Ben and Jerry’s shop was born. The boys were selling insane quantities of their unique flavors to enthusiastic locals in their home town of Burlington, Vermont. They had no idea at the time that their small successful business would ignite a legacy of one of the most ethical and well-known ice cream companies in America. 

              Like with any business, it’s necessary we first examine the product—and boy, do Ben & Jerry’s provide quality ones. Staying true to the company’s policy of inclusion, their range of flavors truly embodies a diverse and unconventional family of individuals. Since the company’s origin, Ben and Jerry have been committed to bringing unique, never before tasted flavors to the public. The pints, each with a catchy title and even funkier flavor, expand from flavors like Cinndoughrella to Urban Bourbon, providing some sweetness for any giddy 7-year old or 85-year old curmudgeon, to enjoy. As all Ben & Jerry’s products are concocted using non-GMO ingredients, their phenomenal quality is no surprise; however, the other secret to these sensational sweets lies in the unconventional texture of each pint. As a result of co-founder Ben Cohen’s severe “nose-blindness” or anosmia, the signature chunks, swirls, and gobs of filling were incorporated into the creamy concoctions to compensate for his lack of taste. The diversity of Ben & Jerry’s does not end with their flavors. The products offered not only include the signature pint, but pint slices, frozen yogurt, dairy-free, light ice-cream, and sorbet, encompassing every medium a Ben & Jerry’s customer could possibly need.

              Ben & Jerry’s not only brings joy to millions around the world with its euphoric ice cream, but also through their long-term commitment to making the world a better place. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are not the corporate money-hungry Robber Barons you’d expect from such a successful company. The two best friends’ activism has been as big a part of the company as the ice cream since the it’s origin. They began by simply improving their own community—in 1985, the Ben and Jerry’s Foundation was established, promising to donate 7.5% of the company’s annual pre-tax profits to fund community-oriented projects. However nearly four decades later, their outreach has extended across a much larger spectrum. One of the several global issues Ben & Jerry’s focuses on is Fairtrade sourcing. “We take fairness seriously…That’s why we want to make sure that our farmers get a fair deal too,” says their official website. By sourcing Fairtrade sugar, cocoa, vanilla, coffee and bananas, Ben & Jerry’s has paid over $3 Million to small-scale international farmers. Also on the Ben & Jerry’s website, you’ll find their support for several issues of inequality plaguing the world today, such as racial injustice, climate injustice, LGBTQ equality, refugee crises, the importance of Democracy, and more. Even the Ben & Jerry’s official Instagram doesn’t shy away from political topics, with posts urging early voting, supporting the Black Lives Matter Movement, and advertising Justice Remixed, their limited edition flavor named as such to help fight inequality in the American justice system towards minority groups.

              The beauty of Ben & Jerry’s lies not only in the fact that they make the best ice cream in the world, but in all that they stand for. Ben & Jerry’s is a genuine company—real people, real ingredients, real dedication to bettering lives; a business built by two modest best friends, that 42 years after establishing their business continue to be transparent with their audience and commit to quality over profit. Ben & Jerry’s has a clear-cut mission: “to make fantastic ice cream” and “to find inventive ways to make the world a better place.” We’re all currently living in a ridiculously unpredictable and aggressive world. If we all incorporate just a teaspoon of that sweetness Ben & Jerry’s exemplify, into our lives and the lives of others, can you imagine how much simpler life would be?