Don’t Forget the Flavor

Graveyards are supposed to be areas of somber reflection. They are hallowed grounds. They contain gravestones dedicated to the departed. This being said, why would a graveyard ring with chuckles, feature smiling faces, and be home to laughing voices? Because it is the Flavor Graveyard at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Vermont, that is why.

The Flavor Graveyard is, innately, an original attraction. This “graveyard” is the final resting place of flavors from days-gone-by. When select flavors (ranging from “Peanut Butter & Jelly” to “Miz Jelena's Sweet Potato Pie” to “Bovinity Divinity”) are retired by Ben & Jerry’s, they have a poem written about their lifespan, which is then placed on a gravestone. This gravestone serves as a lasting memento of the flavor’s time in circulation.

The Flavor Graveyard is only one of the many featured attractions at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory. The Factory also offers an informational movie in the “Cow Over the Moon Theater,” factory floor tour, and, the highly-anticipated finale, tasting booth.

I know that after my trip to the factory I will not think of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream the same. I mean, the history, as well as statistics, are startling. Ben & Jerry’s turns out 110 pints per minute. All milk and cream comes from family cows in Vermont. Unbleached paperboard containers are used to package the ice cream. And, did I mention, employees at Ben & Jerry’s are allowed to take home 3 pints of ice cream per day! Yep, the factory is that cool!

Two gravestones in the Flavor Graveyard
Photo from: http://littlebayroot.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/flavor-graveyard-ben-jerrys.jpg