Ben & Jerry's unlikely start ends in sweet success

I am drawn to verifiable social media stories about people and places. This one might be familiar to some — the ice cream sure is. We are getting closer to all out-ice cream season.

Ben and Jerry were a couple of adrift 20-somethings back in the late 1970s. Jerry had failed multiple attempts to get into medical school. Ben had dropped out of several colleges — and tried odd jobs. They'd been friends in seventh grade, and reconnected. What business could they attempt together? Bagels? The equipment was way too expensive. What else did people go for? Ice cream!

They were clueless about making ice cream. They paid $5 for a correspondence course. Ben had one problem when it came to flavor — severe anosmia — meaning he could hardly smell. Anyone who has had a cold knows if you can't smell, you can't taste much either. What flavor could Jerry concoct in their experimental testing that Ben could taste with his eyes closed.

The only thing that worked was to add chunks — “huge, ridiculous chunks — cookies, brownies, candy bars, bits of things you could bite into and feel. Something that gave the mouth excitement, even when the nose wasn't helping.” This was the exact opposite of the 1977 ice cream tradition — which was smooth, subtle flavor.

Ben's dad helped him with half his $4,000 investment. Jerry kicked in an equal amount. They borrowed another $4,000 from the bank. They decided Burlington, Vermont — a college town minus a quality ice cream shop — and with the benefit of low rents — would be an ideal starter location.

They renovated an abandoned gas station. The roof was rotting — they used newspaper and tar to patch the holes. On May 5, 1978, Ben and Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream Parlor became a reality. In the beginning they sold soup and crepes for winter fare. Ben made pottery bowls.

Word got around. In only a year, they were delivering their ice cream locally. Ben loaded a beat-up car and drove around Vermont — giving his sales pitch. By the early 1980s, they'd gone nationwide. In 2000, they sold their company for $326 million.

Now, of course, everybody is making chunky ice cream — zapping it with flavor. We've all got our favorites. I never could have guessed the beginnings of this trend. Two friends dreaming — one whose smell and taste were dulled — and the other trying to waken his taste buds.

I've learned a bit about our taste receptors. Adults have between 2,000 and 10,000 tastebuds. They are cells arranged like a rosebud. A small opening called a taste pore allows food and drink to enter and make contact with cells that detect taste. Every tastebud has 50 to 150 of these receptor cells. The “taste hairs” within each interact with chemicals in the food or beverage. They connect to nerves which then send taste signals to the brain.

This whole sensory network for taste is called the gustatory system. Jerry never made it to med school — but he introduced chunky ice cream — and made a legendary contribution to the gustatory “science” of taste. All because of Ben's anosmia. The message I get is that there are hidden success stories waiting for people to find the clues and fit the pieces.

Carol Shirk Knapp is the author of the “Preacher’s Kid” column.