Ben Cohen Bio, Age, Parents, Wife, Children, Net Worth

Ben Cohen Bio, Age, Parents, Wife, Children, Net Worth – Bennett Cohen is an American businessman, activist, as well as philanthropist. He is known to have co-founded the renowned ice cream company, Ben & Jerry’s.

Ben Cohen Biography

Born on March 18, 1951, Ben Cohen followed his passion for pottery and left college after his sophomore year. Before venturing into the ice cream business, he held various jobs, including working as a McDonald’s cashier, Pinkerton guard, pottery wheel deliverer, mop-boy, assistant superintendent, ER clerk, and taxi driver. Eventually, he found his calling as a craft teacher at a private school for emotionally-disturbed adolescents, where he began experimenting with making his own ice creams.

In 1977, Ben Cohen partnered with his long-time friend Jerry Greenfield and opened the first Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream Parlor in Burlington, Vermont, in May of the following year. Originally intending to start a bagel business, they switched to ice cream due to equipment costs. Burlington was chosen as the location because it lacked an ice cream shop and had a prominent college presence. Cohen’s anosmia, the loss of his sense of smell, led to the development of Ben & Jerry’s distinctively chunky ice cream, as he added larger and larger chunks for texture.

Cohen stepped down as the Chief Executive Officer of Ben & Jerry’s in 1996, as the company expanded and became one of the largest ice cream companies in the United States.

In March 2023, Cohen initiated a non-profit venture called Ben’s Best Blnz (B3). B3 focused on offering cannabis products like low-THC pre-rolls and full-spectrum vapes, with the aim of addressing the injustices caused by the War on Drugs and narrowing the racial wealth gap. Sales proceeds were divided among three entities: 10% to the Last Prisoner Project, 10% to the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, and the remaining 80% to NuProject.

As Ben & Jerry’s gained national prominence and success, Cohen dedicated his wealth and influence to various social causes through the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation. The foundation receives 7.5% of the company’s pre-tax profits and supports organizations such as the Anti Displacement Project. Cohen also played a role in TrueMajority and Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities.

He is known for his vocal support of Democratic candidates and progressive causes. Cohen endorsed Dennis Kucinich in the 2004 Democratic Party presidential primaries and initially supported John Edwards in 2008, later backing Barack Obama.

Cohen has also been involved in political activism. In 2012, he helped launch the Stamp Stampede campaign, which aimed to stamp messages on the nation’s currency in support of passing a constitutional amendment to reduce the influence of private corporations on politics, particularly in response to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.

Cohen’s activism led to his arrest, along with Jerry Greenfield, during a Democracy Awakening protest in Washington, D.C. in April 2016.

In July 2021, Ben and Jerry announced their support for the boycott of sales of Ben & Jerry’s products in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank. They clarified their continued support for Israel while expressing objections to certain actions.

During an interview in October 2021, Cohen was questioned about his views on stopping ice cream sales in Israel and was asked why Ben & Jerry’s ice cream was sold in Georgia and Texas despite political controversies. Cohen’s response highlighted inconsistencies in the approach.

In 2022, Cohen established the Pierre Sprey Award for journalism, with inaugural recipients including Sam Husseini, Aaron Maté, Benjamin Abelow, and Sudarsan Raghavan.

Cohen faced criticism in 2023 for his opposition to U.S. weapons that were delivered to Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia. Some individuals called for boycotts against Ben & Jerry’s, while Cohen emphasized the need for a negotiated settlement and expressed concern about the escalating death and destruction.

He is a prominent donor to the People’s Power Initiative and Eisenhower Media Network, organizations that advocate against continued U.S. military and financial assistance to Ukraine. Speakers affiliated with the Eisenhower Media Network have faced accusations of echoing Russian talking points regarding Ukraine, including attributing the conflict to NATO expansion.

Although Ben & Jerry’s owner, Unilever, sought to distance itself from certain positions on Ukraine, the Vermont-based ice cream company maintains a degree of autonomy, especially concerning political matters.

Cohen emerged as a prominent supporter of Bernie Sanders during the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries. He even created a special ice cream flavor called “Bernie’s Yearning” to show his support for Sanders. The ice cream, featuring a layer of mint chocolate atop plain mint ice cream, symbolized economic inequality in the United States. Although Ben & Jerry’s distanced itself from the flavor, it gained attention as a citizen-created product.

In 2019, Cohen was named a national co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign and produced another ice cream flavor called “Bernie’s Back” as a prize for contest winners.

Ben Cohen Age

As of July 2023, he was 72 years old.

Ben Cohen Parents

His parents are Frances Cohen and Irving Cohen.

Ben Cohen Wife

He is reportedly married to Elizabeth Skarie.

Ben Cohen Children

He has one child – Aretha Cohen.

Ben Cohen Net Worth

His estimated net worth is over $100 million.

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