Imagine your job consisting of tasting ice cream and deciding whether or not the flavor is good enough to market to the public. You have to determine if the mouthfeel is pleasant, if the add-ins are satisfying, and if the flavors meld together in a harmonious manner. People working at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Stowe, Vermont actually have these kinds of jobs, and we can’t help but feel jealous. The next best thing is visiting the factory, which is absolutely possible.
Visit The Ice Cream Factory
The Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Waterbury is a short drive from Stowe, so you can make a weekend ski vacation a little sweeter by visiting the factory as well. It’s great for the entire family, because who doesn’t like ice cream?
You have to get tickets for admission, and it is recommended to get tickets ahead of time to avoid arriving and finding out that they’re all gone. Admission gets you a 30 minute tour around the factory that includes seeing the manufacturing floor, photo ops, and of course, a chunk and ice cream sample!
You’ll Get To See The Factory
On the tour, you’ll learn about the history of Ben & Jerry’s as a company and then an explanation of how the pints of ice cream are made. The last top of the tour is at the Flavor Room where you’ll get to taste some ice cream and possibly hear a cow joke.
After the tour is over, you can buy more ice cream of course at the Scoop Shop and also browse through the items available for purchase at the Gift Kiosk. There’s also a patio in case the weather is nice, as well as a playground area. Additionally, you can visit the Flavor Graveyard and see which flavors have existed and been discontinued throughout the years.
The Euphoric Flavors
The factory is open from 11am until 6pm on Tuesdays through Saturdays, so keep in mind that on Sundays and Mondays it is closed. In order to visit the public section of the facility, you must have an admission ticket, and you can check the available hours online, as they change based on staff availability.
If you don’t purchase admission tickets, you can still visit the Scoop Shop as well as the Gift Kiosk, playground, patio, and Flavor Graveyard.
Some flavors that are available to enjoy include classics and new exciting ones like Cherry Garcia, Chocolate Therapy, Coffee Coffee BuzzBuzzBuzz, Dirt Cake, Gimmie S’more!, Half Baked, Marshmallow Sky, and The Tonight Dough. There is also a non-dairy flavor available for those who need, as well as sorbets.
You Can Take Funny Photos While You’re Here
