Ben & Jerry’s: An Origin Story

A long time ago (1978) in a land far away (Vermont), three best friends, Ben and Jerry and Steve shared a place in Burlington. They all worked at the same gas station a couple miles away. They shared a car, which they drove to work in every day. They had just started a correspondence course on ice cream making together, so they shared a hobby. Life was pretty sweet, until one fateful day.

Steve went into work early that day. He had to unload the Slim Jims that had been delivered the day before. Ben and Jerry walked to work that day. When they arrived, they saw firetrucks, firemen, smoke and the gas station burned to a crisp. So much for those Slim Jims. Jerry thought. Then they both realized there was no sign of Steve anywhere. They asked a fireman if they had seen their friend. He pointed to gurney. It was Steve, but he was unrecognizable. His skin was charred and his hair was singed off his body. He was struggling for each breath and the medic said he might not survive the trip to the hospital.

They rode the ambulance with him. In the ambulance, Steve was slowly dying. He lifted his head a very little bit and motioned for them to come towards him. He swallowed and coughed and then swallowed again. “Avenge me,” he said in a raspy voice.

“What do you mean, Steve?” asked Jerry.

“From the ashes,” he swallowed and the coughed and then swallowed again. “build the opposite of fire.” He then dropped and closed his eyes. He was dead. They had him cremated, since he was halfway there already, and held a short service for him in their apartment.

A week passed before either of them had an idea. One evening, when they were working on their ice cream making, Ben jumped out of his chair.

“I’ve got it! The opposite of fire, right?” he shouted, pointing to the half made ice cream on the kitchen table. “Let’s open up an ice cream shop at the gas station!”

“Brilliant!” replied Jerry.

It took a few loans and a little time, but soon Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop was up and running. The pair enjoyed great success in the ice cream business, but they never forget their friend Steve, who sat on a shelf, in the shop, looking down on them. To this day, there hasn’t been a fire in that building.

—By Isabel F., 17, New York City