On a great summer day there are few better things to do than eat ice cream. And so during our time in Vermont we were blessed with some fantastic summer weather - perfect for a visit to the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury, Vermont. My brother, Craig, and his fiancée Maggie live in the nearby town of Burlington, Vermont. Craig, Kate and I made the quick drive down interstate 89 to Waterbury to check out the facility there. We took a factory tour, which was actually quite interesting. We were there on a Sunday and unfortunately we didn’t get to see them making any ice cream, but it was still interesting to see all of the equipment, learn about the history of the company and hear about how the ice cream is made.

We learned lots of interesting things during our Ben & Jerry’s factory tour. For example, Ben & Jerry were childhood friends who got started making ice cream by taking a $5 correspondence course. Now Ben & Jerry’s ice cream can be purchased all over the world! They even had a Quality Assurance Lab where they test the different flavors. I can imagine that would be a very demanding job - eating lots of ice cream is hard work.

After our fascinating factory tour and fantastic samples of Sweet Cream & Cookies (pictured above) we went out and walked the grounds where there is a flavor graveyard. Lots of interesting flavors that have been ‘retired’ by Ben & Jerry’s over the years, each one with a sarcastic epitaph that outlines the demise of the ice cream flavor.

The next time I grab a pint of Ben & Jerry’s at the grocery store or pick up a cone on free cone day next spring I will have a greater appreciation of the ice cream that comes from this small town in Vermont.