By Elaine Giammetta

"I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream." One of the most popular chants of children during the summer months, it personifies our obsession with ice cream. Anyone who loves this icy treat knows about Ben & Jerry’s and one of their famous plants located in Waterbury. So why did, Ben & Jerry pick Vermont of all places to start their business? When they began to search the country for the perfect location it had to meet to criteria: It had to be in a college town and it had to be warm. Problem was that all the warm college towns already had ice cream ‘vendors.’ UVM was the perfect college choice so they made a concession and gave up the warm climate.

When you pull into the parking lot there are white fences like you might find around a field anywhere in the state. As you descend the long stairs from the parking lot to the building you discover the personality of its founders. Visitors are welcomed with iconic images of black & white cows and psychedelically bright and cheerful colors everywhere.

My first attempt to get my sacred scoop was during peak foliage season, I must have been insane. The line snaked its way as if I were waiting to get on a ride in Disneyworld. Since I had others with me, including a small child, I decided to come back when the leaf peepers migrated south and things settled down a bit. Smart move! I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get back before I left, and even though I’ve been there a zillion times when I lived here, a trip to Vermont for me is not complete without my B&J fix. After all, how can one pass up Chunky Monkey or Cherry Garcia?

When I returned to the factory, I met up with one of their long time employees and we chatted a bit about B&J and how they’ve changed. The biggest change was the well publicized sale to Unilever. I was living in Vermont at the time, and it caused quite the uproar from the populace. The major concern was, would they maintain their philanthropic endeavors for which they were world famous? Unilever sure did, and the company has become a model in the industry, with many other corporations following their lead.

I’m giggling as I recall when the company launched their Peace Pops, yet they have endured, drawing attention to issues that may have otherwise been overlooked. If you haven’t taken a tour of the plant, take the time to do so on your next trip north. The guides share corny cow jokes ("we add Dairyair to our ice cream" and "flipping the quarts burns calories*) just before your 7 minute video tour begins sharing the history of the organization. It’s a great way to meet Ben and Jerry, on the big screen. The plant operates 24 hours a day and they even have one shift that is focused exclusively on cleaning all the stainless steel equipment. Their milk is provided by the St Albans Coop and in their continuing efforts to support their farmers, they actually pay a premium for their milk to ensure that no growth hormones are used. The milk is even pasteurized twice, once before delivery and then again in the factory.*Actually they flip the packages so they can print information on the bottom.

Visitors are then herded (yes that pun is intentional) to view the place where it all happens, making and packing the sweet stuff! We view the processing room from a balcony like space and the vista reminds me of Willy Wonka’s factory without Oompah Loompahs and chocolate rivers. B&J's is a river of sweet cream goodness. Sorry can’t share any images as photos are not permitted, so you’ll just have to go yourself to see what I mean.

Once the mysteries were revealed, we were corralled and sent on our way to the tasting room. YUM! Here we learned that their number one best seller, Cherry Garcia, was a suggestion from a couple in Maine. For their wonderful suggestion they receive a lifetime supply for free! So what are the next two best sellers? Why Cookie Dough and Chunky Monkey of course! An interesting tidbit: the Cookie Dough formula took 4 years to perfect. By the time they did, there was such demand that they spent 8 months just making one flavor!

Ben & Jerry’s can be found around the world and 70% of the US consumption is made in Vermont! So ice cream fans, whether it’s 40 below or 90 above, there’s no better time for ice cream than right now. BTW – they make an awesome Mango when it’s in season.

For more information about Ben & Jerry's, visit there website: www.benjerry.com