Ben & Jerry's: Inside the Waterbury Factory That Built an Ice Cream Empire

The sweetest smell in Vermont rises off Route 100 in Waterbury, where every day hundreds of thousands of pints of ice cream roll off the line at Ben & Jerry's. This is the company's original factory — the only one in the world open to the public — and visiting it has become a rite of passage for Vermont travelers. The 30-minute guided tour ends, as all good pilgrimages should, with a free sample. But the real flavor here is the story: how two childhood friends turned a renovated Burlington gas station into one of the most beloved brands on the planet. 🍦

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield grew up together in Merrick, New York, and in 1978 they opened their first scoop shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont. Their chunk-loaded, unapologetically indulgent ice cream — packed with the mix-ins other brands considered too expensive — caught on fast. By 1984 the company had gone public in a Vermont-only stock offering that raised $750,000 from local investors, and in 1985 the founders built their first real factory here in Waterbury. Guided tours began the following year, in 1986, and they've been running ever since.

The Waterbury plant is a genuine working factory, producing 350,000 or more pints a day — the only Ben & Jerry's facility anywhere that opens its doors to visitors. From the viewing room you can watch the production line in action as vats of cream become pint after pint of Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey and Phish Food. The tour wraps in the tasting room with a sample of the day's flavor, and the whole experience takes about half an hour — perfect for families, and for anyone who's ever wondered how the chunks get in there.

But ask veteran visitors about their favorite part and many will name the Flavor Graveyard. Out on the hill behind the factory, retired flavors rest beneath whimsical headstones, each with its own tongue-in-cheek send-off — a memorial to beloved pints that didn't make it. It's pure Ben & Jerry's: playful, a little irreverent, and endlessly photographable. Give yourself time to wander it before or after your tour; it's become as much a landmark as the factory itself.

The on-site Scoop Shop is the other essential stop. Beyond standard scoops, it serves freshly baked waffle cones, shakes and sundaes, plus custom ice cream cakes for every occasion — and the shop even caters events across Waterbury, Stowe and the Mad River Valley, bringing the full scoop-shop experience to weddings and office parties. The gift shop nearby stocks apparel and souvenirs you won't find anywhere else. Pro tip from regulars: grab a cone before your tour and enjoy it while you explore the grounds.

You'll find the factory at 1281 Waterbury-Stowe Road on Route 100 in Waterbury, Vermont, right on the scenic corridor between Waterbury and Stowe. It's currently open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with tours running regularly — hours vary by season, so check the site before you go. Tickets are required and can be purchased online, and in summer they frequently sell out, so book ahead. Parking is free and plentiful, and the grounds include a playground for kids, picnic tables, and plenty of room to roam. Arrive about 30 minutes early to soak it all in.

The company's history is woven into modern Vermont identity, and it has stayed proudly rooted here even as it grew — its headquarters remain in South Burlington, with production anchored in Waterbury. The 1984 "What's the Doughboy Afraid Of?" campaign — a scrappy legal fight against Pillsbury and Häagen-Dazs over distribution — turned Ben & Jerry's into a folk hero of independent business. In 1985 the founders created the Ben & Jerry's Foundation, funded with 7.5 percent of the company's annual pre-tax profits for community projects. In 1987 they introduced Cherry Garcia, a tribute to Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia and the first of many flavors named for cultural icons. Today there are more than 500 Scoop Shops worldwide — but it all started in Vermont.

The factory anchors a stretch of Route 100 that has become one of Vermont's great day-trip corridors, linking the ski towns of the Mad River Valley with Stowe's alpine village. In October the drive is pure Vermont — blazing maples framing every mile — and a post-tour cone tastes even better in the crisp air. Summer brings the biggest crowds, with hundreds of visitors a day and up to 800 on the busiest days, so plan accordingly and embrace the festive chaos.

A few visitor tips: book tour tickets online before you go, especially on summer weekends and during foliage season. The tour involves a short video and some standing, and it's wheelchair accessible. Kids love the playground on the hill and the "how many pints tall are you?" photo ops; adults tend to linger in the gift shop. Don't skip the gift shop's exclusive merchandise — much of it is available nowhere else — and let the kids burn off their sugar rush on the playground before the drive home. And yes — the free sample at the end is real, and yes, it's as good as you hope.

Nearly fifty years after two friends started scooping in a gas station, the Waterbury factory remains the beating heart of Ben & Jerry's: the place where the ice cream is actually made and where the company's playful spirit is on fullest display. Whether you're a lifelong devotee or just passing through on Route 100, it's one of those rare factory tours that lives up to the hype. Come hungry. Leave happy.