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Ben Cohen & Jerry
Greenfield
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield started their ice cream adventure
in 1978 in a converted gas station after taking a $5 correspondence
course in ice cream making. The recipes they created, and their
innovative business practices made them so popular that they opened
the plant in Waterbury a few years later. Since then, they have
built 2 other factories and their creamy confection is now sold
around the world.
From a friendship started in a junior high gym class, these two
guys have grown to create an enterprise worth millions. Not only
have they perfected ice cream making, they have created a fun, new
way to run a business, and their philanthropic activities are inspiring.
Their own words tell it best: "The Mission of the Ben & Jerry's
Foundation is to make the world a better place by empowering Ben
& Jerry's employees to use available resources to support and encourage
organizations that are working towards eliminating the underlying
causes of environmental and social problems."
" Ben & Jerry's gives away 7.5 percent of its pretax earnings
in three ways: the Ben & Jerry's Foundation; employee Community
action Teams at five Vermont sites; and through corporate grants
made by the Director of Social Mission Development. We support projects
which are models for social change - projects which exhibit creative
problem solving and hopefulness."
(From www.benjerry.com)
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Amanda
learned how apples are turned into delicious cider at the Cold Hollow
Cider Mill. "First, the apples are ground up, then pumped into
a cloth. The cloth is folded over. Lots of layers of these are stacked up,
then the whole thing gets smashed with over 100 tons of pressure until all
the juice comes out. What's left is a flat, dry square of the skin, seeds
and cores that gets folded up and fed to farm animals and wild animals.
The cider is filtered and heated quickly (to kill any bacteria), then cooled
fast. It tasted really good!")
Susan
had always wanted to see glass blowing "in person", and she finally
got her chance at the Ziemke Glass Blowing Studio. We watched as
master glass blower, Glenn Ziemke, created beautiful, multicolored goblets
before our eyes using only simple tools, forces of nature (gravity and centrifugal
force), his own breath, and a very hot furnace. It was fascinating to see
shapeless blobs of molten glass turn into delicate works of art. We enjoyed
looking at the other beautiful objects in his shop (vases, pitchers, perfume
bottles, etc.) and took home a globe ornament with an amazing mix of colors
and patterns to remind us of this special tour.
Faces
(Click Here
for more faces) 
We
spent a fun day learning how some yummy and interesting things are made
in Vermont. Route 100 in Waterbury is loaded with several factories
and workshops where the public can see firsthand the making of a variety
of items.
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Willy
Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) 
Watch
It Made in the U.S.A : A Visitor's Guide to the Companies That
Make Your Favorite Products 
Inside
America : The Great American Industrial Tour Guide : 1,000 Free
Industrial Tours Open to the Public Covering More Than 300 Different
industries