Ben & Jerry's factory tour

Apparently Ben & Jerry's was started by two guys in Burlington, Vermont.  They have the "original" bus that they used to give out ice cream samples.   

"In 1978, childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield took a $5 course on ice-cream making and opened the first Ben & Jerry’s in a converted gas station in the small college town of Burlington, Vermont. Within five years they had opened their first franchise outside of Vermont and were distributing to regional grocers. By 1987, less than 10 years after their humble beginnings, sales were at $32 million.

Their secret? Simply a new twist on an old favorite -- the funky flavors and even funkier names were a smash hit."

We went through the factory and saw the entire process.  They started with a movie telling the above story, then we went to the mezzanine and saw the operation, and then we got to try a sample!  Afterwards (my favorite part) we went to the ice cream flavor graveyard where all the retired flavors have epitaphs.  They tell when they were made and retired and why, in a funny way.  It was a very good tour!