A Slide In The Office & 13 Other Things That Surprised Us When We First Started Working at Ben & Jerry’s

16th July, 2017

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Weird is Way More Fun

We’ve always been a little weird around here. Ever since our co-founders set up shop in an abandoned gas station, plunked a piano down in the dining area, and started selling ice cream, soup, and pottery, we’ve always done things a little differently. We figure, why be predictable? Weird is so much more fun.

So when many of our employees started working here, they were pretty surprised by a lot of our, well, quirks. We asked everyone what they were the most surprised by when they first joined our team, and these were the best responses we heard.

 

  1. “I was surprised by how many dogs are in the office.”

    “My colleague has a French Bulldog, and she has a doggy door connecting her pod to the employee’s next door, who also owns a French Bulldog. I’m surprised there aren’t more dogfights or noise or accidents in the hallways.”

    We love all our K9-5ers, even when they distract us from our very important ice cream work.

  2. “Friends for life!”

    “I started as a Ben & Jerry’s tour guide back in 1992. On the first day of orientation, I met four other women who to this day, are still four of my best friends. We have been through marriages, babies, divorces, graduations, weddings, and funerals together over the last 25 years. Best surprise Ben & Jerry’s gave me… friends for life!”

  3. “I couldn’t believe the slide!”

    “What kind of company has a huge playground slide inside?! That blew me away.”

  4. “Everyone is so kind and fun!”

    “You'd think working in a factory everyone would be serious and boring, but everyone is so supportive and friendly! We can all joke around with each other (safely, of course), and we act like a big family.”

  5. “Three free tubs PER DAY?!”

    “At first I thought there had to be a catch to this policy, but there isn’t! I bring ice cream every time I hang out with friends and family and get to try all kinds of flavours that I wouldn’t usually pick at the supermarket. It’s a dream come true.”

  6. “I was surprised at how seriously they take their social mission.”

    “It’s not a marketing ploy or a PR stunt — the social activism is really what the whole company is built on. Everybody here is 100% about making the world a better place.”

  7. “There are never spoons or bowls in the kitchen.”

    “ . . . at a company that makes ICE CREAM?!”

    What can we say, they get snapped up early in the day.

  8. “The guy who wears a kilt to work every Friday.”

    Even in the winter, even when it’s raining. He’s our hero.

  9. “Scoop U!”

    We have a replica Scoop Shop inside our offices over in the US for training purposes called Scoop U, and whenever there’s a group training there, they’ll open up the shop for employees and everything on the menu is just $1. So Scoop U days are always good days around here.

  10. “EVERYBODY wants to tell you about their favourite flavour.”

    “No matter who I’m talking to and where I am in the world, when I mention I work at Ben & Jerry’s the person automatically has a SUPER enthusiastic story about their favourite flavour and how much they love it (or wish that it would come back from the Flavour Graveyard!).”

  11. “How many new flavours I get to try!”

    “Even flavours you might not normally gravitate towards are suddenly the best flavour you have ever had!”

  12. “How addictive ice cream right off the line is... the Ben Ten is real!”

    There’s a rumour around here that when you start working for Ben & Jerry’s, you gain about ten pounds from all the inescapable ice cream. And we’ll confirm, it’s definitely real.

  13. “The bright colours and curved walls of the office!”

    “The lobby at our Vermont home is crazy fun with the bright colours and the lifesize cow…I love it and get sad when I visit other business’ monochrome, white offices. Working here feels like you’re working in a playroom...”

    If only we had naptime.

  14. “I discovered Cinnamon Buns.”

    “And that it may be the most underrated flavour of all time (outside of this office).”