Age, Biography, and Wiki
Ben Cohen, born Bennett Cohen on March 18, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York, is best known as the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, the world-famous ice cream company. Over decades, Cohen has built a reputation not only as a successful entrepreneur but also as a vocal advocate for social justice. His Wikipedia page provides a comprehensive overview of his life and achievements: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Cohen_(businessman).
| Occupation | Executives |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 18 March 1951 |
| Age | 74 Years |
| Birth Place | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Publicly available information about Ben Cohen’s height, weight, and body measurements is limited. As a private individual focused on activism and business, Cohen has not widely shared these details in the media.
| Height | |
| Weight | |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship Status
Details regarding Ben Cohen’s current dating status or romantic relationships are not publicly disclosed. Cohen maintains a relatively private personal life, with most public attention focused on his professional and philanthropic work.
| Parents | |
| Husband | |
| Sibling | |
| Children |
Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Ben Cohen’s net worth is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, a result of his successful leadership at Ben & Jerry’s and his subsequent business ventures. While exact salary figures for his current roles are not public, his wealth is largely attributable to the growth and eventual sale of Ben & Jerry’s, as well as ongoing investments and philanthropic activities.
In March 2023, it was reported Cohen started Ben's Best Blnz, or B3, a non-profit firm that offered cannabis products like low-THC pre-rolls and full-spectrum vapes. The stated objective of this effort was to correct for the wrongs of the War on Drugs and to narrow the racial wealth gap. Proceeds from sales would be split among three entities, with 10% going to the Last Prisoner Project, 10% going to the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, and the remaining 80% going to NuProject.
As Ben & Jerry's gradually grew into a nationwide business and one of the largest ice cream companies in the U.S., Cohen turned his new-found wealth and prominence toward a variety of political causes, generally through the Ben & Jerry's Foundation. The Foundation receives 7.5% of all Ben & Jerry's pre-tax profits and distributes funds to organizations such as the Anti Displacement Project. Cohen also oversaw TrueMajority and Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities.
Career, Business, and Investments
- Founding Ben & Jerry’s: In 1978, Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened the first Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont, using a $12,000 investment.
- Rapid Growth: By 1984, the company’s gross receipts had increased by 120% over the previous year, reaching over $4 million in sales.
- Social Responsibility: Cohen helped establish the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation in 1985, which donates 7.5% of the company’s pre-tax profits to charitable causes.
- Innovative Business Model: Cohen and Greenfield raised capital through a community-based stock offering, making many Vermont residents business owners.
- Recent Ventures: In 2023, Cohen launched Ben’s Best Blnz (B3), a non-profit cannabis company aimed at addressing social justice issues related to the War on Drugs and the racial wealth gap.
- Activism: Beyond business, Cohen is an active campaigner for ending qualified immunity, campaign finance reform, and taxing billionaires.
Bennett Cohen (born March 18, 1951) is an American businessman, activist and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of the ice cream company Ben & Jerry's.
He spent at least one summer at Buck's Rock Performing and Creative Arts Camp in New Milford, Connecticut. Cohen first met and befriended his future business partner Jerry Greenfield in a seventh grade gym class in 1963. They continued on to Sanford H. Calhoun High School. In his senior year, Cohen found work as an ice cream man before leaving for university studies. He studied at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York; Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, where he mostly took pottery classes; New York University in New York, New York; and at the University Without Walls program of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts.
In 1977, Cohen decided to go into business with his old friend Jerry Greenfield, and in May of the next year, the two men opened Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream Parlor in Burlington, Vermont. They initially intended to start a bagel business, but found the equipment costs prohibitive and switched to ice cream instead. They chose Burlington as a location because it was a prominent college town which, at the time, had no ice cream shop. Ben & Jerry's distinctive style of ice cream was developed to compensate for Cohen's anosmia, as he kept adding larger and larger chunks to the ice cream to satisfy his need for texture in food. Cohen resigned as chief executive officer of Ben & Jerry's in 1996.
In July 2021, Cohen and Greenfield announced their support for the company's decision to end sales of Ben & Jerry's products in the occupied Palestinian territories. In an opinion piece in the New York Times they wrote "it’s possible to support Israel and oppose some of its policies".
Cohen debuted a special ice cream flavor called "Bernie's Yearning" on January 25, 2016, in support of Sanders. The flavor, released under the brand Ben's Best, consisted of plain mint ice cream covered by a solid layer of mint chocolate. According to Cohen, "The chocolate disk represents the huge majority of economic gains that have gone to the top 1 percent since the end of the recession. Beneath it, the rest of us." This was done in an effort to showcase the United States' current socioeconomic issues. The ice cream was made by hand in Cohen's kitchen with ingredients purchased by the Sanders campaign. Ben & Jerry's released a statement disavowing connection or support for the product, saying "This was created by Ben as a citizen. The company is not involved.”
Social Networks
Ben Cohen maintains a low-key presence on mainstream social media platforms. While he may not be highly active on platforms like Twitter or Instagram, his work and public appearances continue to be covered by business and social justice media outlets.
In 2022, Ben & Jerry's parent company, Unilever, criticized a tweet from Ben & Jerry's Twitter account blaming U.S. President Joe Biden for contributing to rising tensions with Russia and distanced itself from Ben & Jerry's position on Ukraine.
Education
Ben Cohen attended Colgate University but did not complete his degree. He also studied at Skidmore College but chose to leave before graduating, pursuing entrepreneurial ventures instead. His partnership with Jerry Greenfield, formed during their junior high school years, laid the foundation for their future business success.
