ben and jerry learned how to make ice cream via a course offered by penn state

by Jacques Auer MD 5 min read

The Ben Jerry’s founders knew nothing about making ice cream—so they took a $5 class. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield at The Ben and Jerry’s One Heart, One World Festival in 1992. To learn how to make ice cream — the core of their business plan — the pair split a $5 correspondence course from Penn State.

TIL the founders of 'Ben & Jerry's' learned how to make ice cream by taking a $5 correspondence course offered by Penn State because one of them couldn't get into medical school and the other couldn't sell enough pottery to make a living.Dec 24, 2018

Full Answer

How did Ben and Jerry's start making ice cream?

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield take a $5 Penn State correspondence course on making ice cream before launching Ben and Jerry's later that year. The Creamery is going through about 3 million pounds of milk a year to produce milk, cheese, and other dairy products and serve as a research facility for the Department of Food Science.

Where can you give away Ben and Jerry’s ice cream?

The annual ice cream give-away continues today in scoop shops around the world. Ben and Jerry rent space in an old spool and bobbin mill on South Champlain Street in Burlington and begin packing their ice cream in pints.

What is the ice cream short course?

History of the Course Penn State's Ice Cream Short Course is the oldest, best-known, and largest educational program dealing with the science and technology of ice cream. It also is believed to be the first continuing education course in the United States.

Where can you buy milk and ice cream in Pennsylvania?

Production increases enough that milk and cream must be purchased from 300 area farmers. The Creamery sells milk, cheese and ice cream in the State College and Altoona markets. A small fleet of Penn State Creamery trucks delivers milk locally.

Did Ben and Jerry learn to make ice cream at Penn State?

Ben and Jerry at PSU Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield take a $5 Penn State correspondence course on making ice cream before launching Ben and Jerry's later that year.

How did Ben and Jerry get their qualification in ice cream training?

Humble Beginnings. With a $5 correspondence course in ice cream-making from Penn State and a $12,000 investment ($4,000 of it borrowed), Ben and Jerry open their first ice cream scoop shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont.

How does Penn State make their ice cream?

Ingredients3 1/2 cups homogenized whole milk.1 1/2 cups Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat)1/2 cup sugar.2 2/3 cups heavy (whipping) cream.1 to 2 tablespoons vanilla extract.

What did Ben and Jerry originally plan to make?

Ben & Jerry's was originally going to be a bagel company, but Ben and Jerry found the bagel-making equipment to be too pricey. Their plan was to deliver bagels, lox, cream cheese, and the New York Times on Sunday mornings.

What other product did Ben & Jerry consider producing why did they choose ice cream instead?

After moving to North Carolina for a few years, Jerry reunited with Ben in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and they decided to go into the food business together. At first, the pair thought about making bagels but decided the necessary equipment was too expensive. Instead, they settled on ice cream.

How did Ben and Jerry's ice cream start?

Humble Beginnings. With a $5 correspondence course in ice cream-making from Penn State and a $12,000 investment ($4,000 of it borrowed), Ben and Jerry open their first ice cream scoop shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont.

Who makes Penn State ice cream?

The Pennsylvania State University Creamery, often shortened to just Berkey Creamery or The Creamery, is a producer and vendor of ice cream, sherbet, and cheese, all made through the Department of Food Science in the College of Agricultural Sciences of the Pennsylvania State University.

Where is the Penn State Bakery?

University Park CampusThe Penn State Bakery is located on the University Park Campus adjacent to the Penn State Arboretum.

Does Penn State Creamery ship?

We ship to 48 states. Start building your cooler to have delicious Penn State ice cream delivered right to your door.

Who made Ben and Jerry's ice cream?

Ben CohenJerry GreenfieldBen & Jerry's/Founders

Who makes Ben & Jerry's ice cream?

UnileverBen & Jerry's today Ben & Jerry's, a wholly-owned autonomous subsidiary of Unilever, operates its business on a three-part mission statement emphasizing product quality, economic reward and a commitment to the community.

What makes Ben and Jerry's unique?

Air content makes ice cream taste good Ben and Jerry's sticks to the same basic ingredients as most ice creams — milk, sugar, and cream — but the "overrun," or the amount of air that is pumped into the ice cream is what sets their ice cream into the premium category.

What college did Ben and Jerry attend?

Moving away from their plans to open a bagel shop together, Cohen and Greenfield decided to attend a $5 ice cream making course at Pennsylvania State University in 1978.

How does Ben and Jerry's treat their employees?

The company does a good job of taking care of their employees through pay and benefits. Management, at the line level, is pretty good. The only downside are the 12 hour shifts. There has been attempts to move back to 8 hour shifts with 12 hour weekend shifts but upper management seems reluctant to make that change.

Do Ben and Jerry still own the company?

After more than 20 years as an independent enterprise, Ben & Jerry's became a wholly owned subsidiary of Unilever.

Are Ben and Jerry married to each other?

Are Ben and Jerry a couple? Even though Ben and Jerry have always been close, they are not a couple. On the brand's website, there's a page that debunks a few myths that have spread over the years. One of them asks this very question, but the founders have never been in an amorous relationship and are not gay.

How does a star wheel work?

As the star-wheel turns, it pushes the chunks into the stream of frozen ice cream flowing through the feeder. The be-chunked ice cream finally passes through a special blender attachment, which mixes the chunks throughout the stream of ice cream, ensuring an even ”chunk dispersal”. Favorite Flavor:

How does a chunk feeder work?

Quite simply, the Chunk Feeder “feeds” chunks into the ice cream stream. Chunks are top-loaded into the Chunk Feeder hopper, at the bottom of which an auger regulates a steady chunk-flow into a star-wheel. As the star-wheel turns, it pushes the chunks into the stream of frozen ice cream flowing through the feeder.

What is the process of heating ice cream mix?

After ice cream mix is blended, it’s ready to be pasteurized and homogenized. Pasteurization is the process of heating the mix in order to kill harmful bacteria. The Pasteurizer is made up of a series of very thin stainless steel plates.

How does ice cream mix work?

Here’s how it works: the mix is pumped through a long, freezing cold cylinder known as the barrel. As the mix freezes to the wall of the barrel it is scraped away by revolving blades. When it gets to the front of the barrel it’s no longer mix – it’s ice cream!

How hot is the water in a homogenizer?

Hot water (182 degrees) flows on one side of the plates, and as cold mix (36 degrees) is pumped through on the other side of the plates, heat from the hot water is transferred to the mix, heating it to 180 degrees. Before the mix has a chance to cool down, it enters the Homogenizer.

What is the Berkey Creamery?

The mission of the Berkey Creamery is to support the teaching, research and outreach programs of the Department of Food Science, to provide quality dairy products to students in on-campus housing, and to maintain an economically viable retail outlet for dairy products to the University community.

What is the creamery?

The Creamery supports the Department of Food Science and the dairy industry by providing continuing education and training and serving as a working lab for students, scientists, and professionals performing cutting-edge research into food science and safety.

When did Berkey milk company open?

1968. Berkey Milk Company Opens. Over the years, the Berkeys help many Penn Staters gain a foothold in the industry. Five of their superintendents are Penn State graduates and their plant is used for University milk testing.

When did Penn State start dairy research?

Dairy research began at Penn State in 1865, and we've been setting milestones ever since. With our science-based process, we're creating some of the best dairy products in the country. Luscious ice creams and gooey cheeses are the pride of our hometown.

How old is the oldest milking cow in the creamery?

Donut, at 9 years of age, is the Creamery’s oldest milking cow. Did you know... After arriving in tankers at our receiving bay, milk is lab tested for safety and quality and placed into holding tanks before being processed and sent to various locations on campus. Did you know...

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