10 Super Successful Cofounders And Why Their Partnerships Worked
#5 Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield
Company: Ben & Jerry's
It is an American ice cream company, best known as a premium ice cream brand. In April 20, Ban & Jerry’s sold the company to British-Dutch multinational food giant Uniliver, carrying the tradition set by both co-founders, in same name.
Year Founded: 1978
How their partnership was formed: Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield met in 7th grade gym class and are friends ever since. In 1997 both completed a correspondence course on ice cream making from Pennsylvania State University’s Creamery. On may 5 1978, with $12,000 they opened an ice cream parlor in a revolted gas station, downtown Burlington, Vermont. In 1979 they marked their anniversary by holding the first-ever free cone day, now an annual celebration worldwide.
Why their partnership works: Ben and Jerry were life long friends who shared common passion for food and desire to do more than just profit. The statement “We measured our success not just by how much money we made, but by how much we contributed to the community. It was a two-part bottom line," truly signifies the way company worked.
