Great ice cream and so much more: how we source our milk and dairy
Since the early days Ben & Jerry’s has been about more than tasty ice cream filled with chunks and swirls. We work in close collaboration with our suppliers and customers, all the way from cow to cone. For example, for ingredients such as cocoa and vanilla, we have long worked with Fairtrade farmers and cooperatives. The fudgy brownies that we use in our ice cream come from Greyston Bakery, where producing scrumptious baked goods is part of their mission to provide people with a second chance.
Dairy is the basis for many of our fans’ favorite concoctions. When you know that around half a pint of our dairy-based flavors is made up of cream and milk, it comes as no surprise that we are proud of the relationship with the 400 family farms that are part of our European Caring Dairy program.
What is the Caring Dairy program?
The Caring Dairy program was established in 2004 and is now the one of the longest-running progressive dairy programs in the world. In Europe, it was initiated by Ben & Jerry’s and CONO Cheesemakers, a 100-year-old farmer’s cooperative that is known for its dedication and ongoing commitment to producing milk in the most sustainable way.
Free grazing & much more
For over 16 years we have worked with European family farms that let their cows graze outside, where- as cows are grazing animals, they can engage in their most natural behavior.
But our dairy program is about more than that; topics farmers work on, range from promoting healthy soils to increasing the feed crops on the fields, stimulating the presence of birds and insects, to sequestration of carbon in the soil. The idea is: the more progress the farmers makes, the higher the reward they receive. Do you want to know more about the areas we work on in our program? Read on right here!
Why do we do this?
Our dairy program stems from the core values of the Ben & Jerry’s business, which include Environmental Protection, Restoration & Regeneration, and is part of the company’s vision to support thriving and dignified livelihoods for farmers and farm workers, excellent care for cows, and a flourishing ecosystem that combats climate change through building soil health and sequestering carbon. Read more about the full strategy in our SEAR report.