Ben & Jerry’s Founder Defends Integrity

Co-creator of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream, Jerry Greenfield, engaged in a heated discussion with an angry person following his speech in Burruss Auditorium yesterday in front of a crowd of over 300 people.  That person turned out to be Alan Sherman, owner of the Ben & Jerry’s shop in Blacksburg. 

The confrontation occurred following Greenfield’s speech telling students about how he and his fellow business partner Ben Cohen broke into the ice cream business. Kevin Bechtel, a second year graduate student, said he came out to “see Greenfield because he has been with a progressive anti-Bush” group and I was interested to see him speak but did not expect what would happen at the end his speech.   

During a question and answer session, Sherman asked Greenfield if the company founded by Cohen and Greenfield incorporated truth into their company values.  After Greenfield said that the company did believe in honesty, Sherman then asked Greenfield if he knew about the 40 to 50 Ben & Jerry’s stores that had been put out of business.

Sherman said there was one story in Newsweek about a Ben & Jerry’s owner how the company had been lying about the numbers when it came to funding.  Greenfield said he did not know about the instance and alluded to the fact that he and his business partner no longer own the company.  However, Greenfield said that although he did not know, he believed the information was false. 

Shortly after much discussion between the two men, Sherman revealed that he was the business owner interviewed by Newsweek.   In fact, Shawna Morrison wrote in a Roanoke Times article that Sherman was so determined not to close down his store that “he and his wife plan[ned] to file a civil suit against Ben & Jerry's, claiming that misleading company literature is to blame for the financial hole they're in and hoping the company will be forced to pay for their losses."

A couple of members of the crowd attempted to step up to the microphone to interrupt the heated discussion but the debate ensued until Greenfield stopped it.  Greenfield finally said to Sherman “we are not having a discussion” and told him to sit down because the topic was not appropriate to be discussed at the event. 

During his question and answer period, Sherman announced to the crowd that there will be no free cone day on April 29 for the Virginia Tech community this year provided by Ben & Jerry’s in Kent Square.  Sherman said he sponsored the event in the past but only by absorbing the cost himself without reimbursement. 

Despite the drama Eric Veith, a freshman, still enjoyed Greenfield’s speech.  Veith said that he admired Greenfield because it is “cool to see Ben and Jerry’s try and give to the community [rather] then seek profit.”