Ben and Jerry's Factory Tour

We finished our Vermont trip yesterday. On the way home, we decided to take part in the Ben and Jerry's Factory Tour. It was pretty spectacular. The tour began with a video celebrating the history of the popular ice cream chain. It discussed their social/economic/environmental sustainability position planks. I thought this was interesting because I just thought the company made ice cream. But Ben and Jerry's is so much more!

The video ended by discussing Unilever's purchase of Ben and Jerry's a few years back. However, the video did not discuss the various charges human rights organizations have charged against Unilever. I found this curious.

The tour took us through the Ben and Jerry's factory. It ended with the entire group receiving a free sample of their delicious mint chocolate chip ice cream. Mmmm!

The Hempest

Right now, I am writing to you from a lovely bed and breakfast in Burlington, Vermont. For those not in the know, Burlington is a small city that is home to the University of Vermont, an infamous hippie school. (Phish comes from here. As does Ben and Jerry's. And that lame kid a grade ahead of me who tried to form a hackey sack club went to school here.) When exploring downtown Burlington, I walked past a store called The Hempest. The Hempest specializes in selling clothing made entirely from hemp, man. I was temped to try and purchase a "You cannot smoke thiz hat" hat but instead I went to a local burrito stand. -- GG