Enjoying a Delicious Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour in Vermont
By Meg Brunson
I love Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and I always have. Known for it's large bits and pieces mixed into creamy ice cream, I always know when I open a pint of Ben & Jerry's I am going to polish off a pint of top quality ice cream! I am so excited that we had the opportunity to visit the original factory and learn more about the company that makes my favorite ice cream! The kids were equally as thrilled because they knew they'd get samples, and that I would not let them leave without endulging in a couple scoops!
The first step in the tour involved watching a short movie. Learning about Ben & Jerry's origin story was fascinating. Because Ben has a medical condition effecting his sense of smell and therefore his ability to taste, he is credited for being the reason why Ben & Jerry's ice cream has so many large chunks of whatever-flavor-you're-eating. Yum.
We also learned about the various social missions of the company, which only made us love them more!
After the video, we followed the tour guide to a glassed in mezzanine where we were able to observe the factory operations. It was so cool to see the various production steps and learn that they process one single flavor every day. The flavor of our day was Half-Baked! We got to watch them pour boxes of cookie dough pieces and browny bits into a machine that will mix them in the perfect proportions into each pint of ice cream. Seeing all the pints process through the assembly line was neat - plus the tour guide walked us through the whole process with a video you could watch (to suppliment what you were seeing on the floor). We were not permitted to take pictures of this part of the tour - but it was well done! The various stations were labeled so it was easy to follow and understand.
We walked down a hallway that revealed the top 10 flavors and ended in the tasting room. Everyone got at least one sample of a flavor that I am going to keep a secret from you. I am glad that no one told me what they got - it made the experience a lot more fun... so use your imagination here and you'll have to visit to see what flavor YOU get!
After the tour, we enjoyed browsing the gift shop - I bought some edible cookie dough bits!! Just the cookie dough chunks straight out of the ice cream!! OMG - I have yet to find these in a store, but once I do, I will be stocking up. They were SO tasty! And, of course we each devoured a cone of our favorite flavor, played on the playground, and paid our respects at the Flavor Graveyard.
Plan Ahead
- Tickets - All tickets for groups under 10 are first come first searved, on the day of the tour. What that means is, you should arrive early in the day so that you can purchase tickets for later in the day just in case the upcoming tour(s) are sold out. You can visit the flavor graveyard, play on the playground, enjoy a scoop of ice cream, or shop in the gift shop while you wait!
- Temperature - If you're one of those people who gets chilly walking through the freezer section of the grocery store (it can't just be me, right?), do not worry!! This tour is all room temperature! No need to pack winter wear (unless, of course, it's winter in Vermont!).
- Accessibility - the tour is stroller friendly, but the walking is very minimal.
- The Flavor Graveyard - It's NOT a part of the tour - but you can NOT miss it! It's so fun to check out all the flavors of years passed!
I can not think of one single person who would not love to visit Ben & Jerrys! Perfect for kids and adults alike - the tours are accessible and include a free sample. Learn more about the factory tours at https://www.benjerry.com/about-us/factory-tours!
PLUS, read about some of the other adventures we're having on our Year-Long Road Trip!
© 2019 Meg Brunson
Thanks to Ben & Jerry's for sponsoring this review. All opinions expressed are my own. See more on Instagram!
Meg is a mommy blogger, Facebook marketer, and much more. She is a mom to four kids who live full-time in an RV exploring the US! As a former Facebook employee, Meg remains a Facebook addict and handles KidsOutAndAbout.com's Social Media Marketing in addition to providing freelance services for other small businesses on how to best leverage Facebook as a part of their marketing strategy. Meg also hosts the FamilyPreneur Podcast, a podcast for parent entrepreneurs raising entrepreneurial children. Learn more about Meg at MegBrunson.com!