Jerry Greenfield Quotes

Powerful Jerry Greenfield for Daily Growth

About Jerry Greenfield

Jerry Greenfield, born on July 14, 1951, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is an American businessman, philanthropist, and co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., the renowned ice cream brand known for its innovative flavors and socially responsible practices. Greenfield was raised in a middle-class Jewish family that valued education and social activism. After graduating from Lawrence University in 1972 with a degree in psychology, Greenfield decided to pursue a career in teaching. However, his life took an unexpected turn when he met Ben Cohen at a volleyball game. The two shared a passion for ice cream and decided to start a small business selling it. In 1978, they opened their first ice cream shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont, under the name Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream. Their unique flavors, such as Cherry Garcia and Phish Food, quickly gained popularity, and by 1980, they expanded to a second store. Ben & Jerry's gained national recognition in 1985 when they introduced a flavor dedicated to rock star Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. The company was bought by Unilever in 2000 for $326 million, but Greenfield and Cohen retained control over product quality and social mission. Greenfield has been active in various philanthropic endeavors, focusing on education, climate change, and animal welfare. He is a board member of the Ben & Jerry's Foundation, which supports grassroots organizations working towards these causes. Greenfield remains an influential figure in the business world, advocating for socially responsible capitalism and using business as a force for good.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Ice cream is a lot like life. Sometimes it's fair, sometimes it's not."

This quote implies that, similar to life, ice cream can have its ups and downs. The "fair" times represent enjoyable moments when one savors a delicious scoop, while the "unfair" instances could be when one gets less than they expect or when they dislike a particular flavor. It serves as a reminder that both life and ice cream contain a mix of sweet and sour experiences, and it's essential to find joy and learn from each moment, just as one would savor every scoop of their favorite dessert.


"We didn't invent ice cream. We just perfected it."

The quote by Jerry Greenfield reflects a sense of continuous improvement and innovation, as well as humility in the context of entrepreneurship. By stating that they "didn't invent ice cream," but instead "perfected" it, he acknowledges the existence of precursors while emphasizing their unique contribution to the development of the product. It suggests a commitment to quality, creativity, and refining established concepts to make them exceptional.


"If it's melted, it's not us."

This quote by Jerry Greenfield emphasizes a strong commitment to maintaining the quality and integrity of one's work or product. In the context of his work at Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, "If it's melted, it's not us" implies that if their ice cream melts too quickly, it deviates from their standard of excellence, which is not acceptable to them. It underscores their dedication to creating a high-quality product and maintaining the unique identity of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.


"Life is like an ice cream cone, you have to hold it right or you're going to have a mess."

The quote suggests that one should mindfully navigate through life, just as one needs to carefully hold an ice cream cone to avoid making a mess. It implies that being thoughtful and careful in our actions and decisions can help us manage the challenges of life effectively and minimize unnecessary complications or mistakes.


"The best way to predict your future is to create it." (This quote isn't directly attributed to Jerry Greenfield, but it's often associated with him due to its appearance on Ben & Jerry's ice cream pints.)

The quote "The best way to predict your future is to create it" by Jerry Greenfield signifies that one should not passively wait for life to unfold, but rather actively shape their destiny. It suggests that taking control of our actions, decisions, and aspirations is the most effective method of foreseeing what the future holds. This sentiment resonates with the spirit of self-determination and proactivity, which is evident in Jerry Greenfield's personal success as a co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.


Recycling, packaging, businesses are changing all of those things because that's what consumers want.

- Jerry Greenfield

Recycling, Want, Things, Packaging

Don't just do something because it's a trendy idea and will make you a lot of money. The reason I say that is because any kind of venture involves going through difficult times. If you're doing something you are passionate about and really believe in, then that will carry you through.

- Jerry Greenfield

Doing, Reason, Through, Venture

Businesses can lead with their values and make money, too. You don't have to simply be purely profit-driven. You can integrate social and environmental concerns into a business, be a caring business, be a generous business and still do very well financially.

- Jerry Greenfield

Very, Still, Purely, Integrate

Ice cream is the perfect buffer, because you can do things in a somewhat lighthearted way. Plus, people have an emotional response to ice cream; it's more than just food. So I think when you combine caring, and eating wonderful food, it's a very powerful combination.

- Jerry Greenfield

I Think, Lighthearted, Very, Response

Business can be a source of progressive change.

- Jerry Greenfield

Change, Business, Source, Progressive

Ben & Jerry's is an indulgent dessert that should be eaten in moderation. You should not be replacing more than one meal a day with ice cream. We do not consider a pint or a tub of ice cream to be a single serving.

- Jerry Greenfield

More, Tub, Ben, Eaten

Startups are often very undercapitalised, but I found that to be very beneficial because it forces you not to throw money at problems. Instead, you learn all the nuts and bolts of what you're doing and become an expert.

- Jerry Greenfield

Doing, Expert, Very, Startups

So much business is based on the belief that we should do whatever we can within legal limits to make as much money as we can. Ben & Jerry's was based on values, and we try to operate a business that not just sells ice cream but partners with all our stakeholders - whether that's suppliers or customers - to bring about a more sustainable world.

- Jerry Greenfield

Sustainable, Suppliers, Ice Cream

I eat many different ice creams. I'm not an ice cream snob, although I do think Ben & Jerry's is the best. But I'm happy to eat anybody's ice cream, really. As long as it's good.

- Jerry Greenfield

Happy, Think, Anybody, Ice Cream

If you happen to believe what Ben & Jerry's is supporting and involved in, then you should support the company. If you don't believe in what we are supporting, don't support it.

- Jerry Greenfield

Believe, Happen, Ben, Supporting

The reality is that most companies are not about any values at all - they are about making money. It is extremely rare for a business to stand for anything because most businesses don't want to alienate potential customers, and if you believe in anything you are going to alienate someone.

- Jerry Greenfield

Values, Believe, About, Alienate

It's good to stand for something, to believe in something and base your business on values.

- Jerry Greenfield

Business, Values, Believe, Stand For Something

Businesses typically look at issues like price, quality, time of delivery. They don't often think about social and environmental impact because they're focused on their financial bottom line.

- Jerry Greenfield

Financial, Line, About, Businesses

Look at your business and the activities that you undertake. Then, start to think about not just your economic concerns, but about social and environmental impacts that businesses have.

- Jerry Greenfield

Environmental, Think, Social, Businesses

It's pretty rare to have CEOs or high level executives at big companies who are social activists. They tend not to be drawn to those areas of life.

- Jerry Greenfield

Big, Pretty, High Level, Activists

You know, I get frustrated with our country's administration, which is really the people who are not acknowledging global warming. I mean, it's accepted by scientists around the world, scientists in our country and it's accepted by every country around the world with the exception of the United States.

- Jerry Greenfield

Country, Exception, United, Acknowledging

Ben & Jerry's evolved into what it is doing and is trying to transition its supply chain, but this is essentially retrofitting. In the social enterprise movement, we see companies whose essence, the products they make, the reason they exist from day one, is because these people see something out in the world that they cannot accept.

- Jerry Greenfield

Doing, Reason, Enterprise, Transition

If you open up the mind, the opportunity to address both profits and social conditions are limitless. It's a process of innovation.

- Jerry Greenfield

Innovation, Mind, Profits, Limitless

I'm a pretty laid-back kind of guy. What I've always wanted to do is set up situations in our company where if people who worked there needed help, we would try to help them, and at the same token if the company needed help from people, they would help us. A kind of give and take.

- Jerry Greenfield

Guy, Needed, Our, Token

One out of every 100 families in Vermont was a part owner of Ben and Jerry's.

- Jerry Greenfield

Part, Owner, Vermont, Jerry

I like that Ben & Jerry's is willing to speak out about social and political issues that aren't always safe - but are the right thing to do.

- Jerry Greenfield

Always, Like, Social, Jerry

One of the great things about Ben & Jerry's for me is that not only is it delicious, but I get it for free.

- Jerry Greenfield

Great, About, Ben, Jerry

Now, when we face a problem like global warming, and you understand that the biggest impacts on global warming come from business and industry, I think business needs to take a leading role.

- Jerry Greenfield

Think, Needs, I Think, Impacts

When you are led by values, it doesn't cost your business, it helps your business.

- Jerry Greenfield

Business, Values, Cost, Helps

I guess I harboured hopes that things would happen more quickly, but I'm not disappointed.

- Jerry Greenfield

Happen, Would, Guess, Disappointed

We measured our success not just by how much money we made, but by how much we contributed to the community. It was a two-part bottom line.

- Jerry Greenfield

Made, Measured, Bottom, Bottom Line

If your support the community, they will support you.

- Jerry Greenfield

Support, Will, Your, Community

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