Company Overview
Ben and Jerry’s is a leader in the super-premium ice cream category where it competes primarily with Nestle’s Haagen-Dazs (Hoovers, 2017). Headquartered in Vermont, it is a subsidiary and brand of Unilever (Hoovers, 2017). Ben and Jerry’s was founded in 1978 in Vermont in a renovated gas station (Murray, 2015). The founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield made a commitment to social responsibility a part of the company’s mission statement and values (Murray, 2015). The multinational Unilever acquired Ben and Jerry’s in 2000 (Kiger, 2005). Unilever owns several other ice cream brands including Breyers, Good Humor and Klondike (Hoovers, 2017). Ben and Jerry’s sells ice cream products and it also franchises its scoop shops in …show more content…
Even as the company grew, it was acquired by Unilever, and it expanded its product lines, Ben and Jerry’s has consistently produced frozen, dairy-based goods (Hoovers, 2017). Creating a nondairy product presents unique challenges from research and development stage through to batch production. Interviews with Ben and Jerry's food scientist or “flavor guru,” Kirsten Schimoler indicate that it took nearly three years and extensive trial and error to find a replacement for dairy milk and produce ice cream that would meet the company’s quality standards (Neimark, …show more content…
Research into quality assurance at Ben and Jerry’s for its traditional product lines indicates that these principles are integrated into the culture at Ben and Jerry’s (Lupo, 2014). These principles of TQM state, “Quality can and must be managed. The customer defines quality, and customer satisfaction is the top goal; it is a requirement and is not negotiable. Management must be involved and provide leadership. Continuous quality improvement is “the” strategic goal, which requires planning and organization. Quality improvement is the responsibility of every employee; all employees must be trained and educated to achieve quality improvement. Quality problems are found in processes, and problems must be prevented, not solved. The quality standard is ‘no defects.’ Quality must be measured; improvement requires the use of quality tools, and especially statistical process control” (Russell & Taylor, 2013). In an interview with Quality Assurance Magazine in 2014, Plant Manager Robert Bellezza explained that employee engagement is essential to maintaining and improving the quality of the Ben and Jerry’s product (Lupo, 2014). It’s been adopted by employees and is a huge component of Ben and Jerry’s culture (Lupo,
Ben and Jerry’s is a leader in the super-premium ice cream category where it competes primarily with Nestle’s Haagen-Dazs (Hoovers, 2017). Headquartered in Vermont, it is a subsidiary and brand of Unilever (Hoovers, 2017). Ben and Jerry’s was founded in 1978 in Vermont in a renovated gas station (Murray, 2015). The founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield made a commitment to social responsibility a part of the company’s mission statement and values (Murray, 2015). The multinational Unilever acquired Ben and Jerry’s in 2000 (Kiger, 2005). Unilever owns several other ice cream brands including Breyers, Good Humor and Klondike (Hoovers, 2017). Ben and Jerry’s sells ice cream products and it also franchises its scoop shops in …show more content…
Even as the company grew, it was acquired by Unilever, and it expanded its product lines, Ben and Jerry’s has consistently produced frozen, dairy-based goods (Hoovers, 2017). Creating a nondairy product presents unique challenges from research and development stage through to batch production. Interviews with Ben and Jerry's food scientist or “flavor guru,” Kirsten Schimoler indicate that it took nearly three years and extensive trial and error to find a replacement for dairy milk and produce ice cream that would meet the company’s quality standards (Neimark, …show more content…
Research into quality assurance at Ben and Jerry’s for its traditional product lines indicates that these principles are integrated into the culture at Ben and Jerry’s (Lupo, 2014). These principles of TQM state, “Quality can and must be managed. The customer defines quality, and customer satisfaction is the top goal; it is a requirement and is not negotiable. Management must be involved and provide leadership. Continuous quality improvement is “the” strategic goal, which requires planning and organization. Quality improvement is the responsibility of every employee; all employees must be trained and educated to achieve quality improvement. Quality problems are found in processes, and problems must be prevented, not solved. The quality standard is ‘no defects.’ Quality must be measured; improvement requires the use of quality tools, and especially statistical process control” (Russell & Taylor, 2013). In an interview with Quality Assurance Magazine in 2014, Plant Manager Robert Bellezza explained that employee engagement is essential to maintaining and improving the quality of the Ben and Jerry’s product (Lupo, 2014). It’s been adopted by employees and is a huge component of Ben and Jerry’s culture (Lupo,