Ben Cohen (businessman)
He co-founded an ice cream empire on a whim and used its success as a megaphone for social justice, blending chunks of activism with every pint.
Born 1951 (age 75)·American businessman·Birthday: March 18·Baby Boomers
Biography
In 1978, Ben Cohen and his childhood friend Jerry Greenfield took a $5 correspondence course in ice cream-making and opened a scooped shop in a renovated Vermont gas station. Ben, the marketing visionary with a famously weak sense of smell and taste, championed the concept of 'chunks'—large, irregular inclusions that became a brand hallmark. But Ben & Jerry's became far more than a quirky Vermont company. Under Cohen's co-leadership, it pioneered the idea of 'linked prosperity,' baking social mission into its business model. The company sourced from local farms, paid employees well above minimum wage, and directed a portion of profits to a foundation supporting grassroots activism. After selling the company to Unilever in 2000, Cohen doubled down on advocacy, co-founding organizations like Business for Social Responsibility and the Campaign to Stamp Out Hate. He remains a vocal critic of corporate political spending, using his platform to argue that business must be a force for community good.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ben was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ben Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Ben's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 70
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 75 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings Inc. in 1978 with Jerry Greenfield, starting from a single Burlington, Vermont shop.
- Pioneered the corporate concept of 'linked prosperity,' dedicating a fixed percentage of pre-tax profits to philanthropic causes through the Ben & Jerry's Foundation.
- Led the company to file a first-of-its-kind lawsuit to block a merger, arguing Unilever's ownership compromised its social mission.
Did You Know?
He has anosmia, a limited sense of smell, which influenced Ben & Jerry's focus on chunky textures and strong flavors.
He drove an ice cream truck named 'Wavy Gravy' as part of the company's early marketing.
He was a prominent supporter of the 2016 campaign to amend the U.S. Constitution to overturn the Citizens United ruling on campaign finance.
“Business has a responsibility to give back to the community from which it draws its success.”
