Open A Franchise

Change The World, One Scoop At A Time. The Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Franchise Opportunity.

Love what you do, and make a difference too

Looking for an opportunity to own a business that puts smiles on people’s faces, serves phenomenally popular products, and values the importance of having fun, giving back, and getting involved in the community?

We’re looking for new Ben & Jerry’s franchisees, and we’d love to talk “scoop shop” with you.

Hands holding two ice cream cones

Leverage a remarkable brand experience

We like to say there are two kinds of people in the world: those who love Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and those who haven’t tried it yet.

Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops are designed to deliver the ultimate, immersive Ben & Jerry's experience to fans and first-timers alike. They're whimsical, welcoming places where families and friends can enjoy their favorite treats and fans can deepen their connections with our brand.

Ice cream and a whole lot more

Scoop shops typically offer the most extensive selection of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet flavors available anywhere (including special “shop-only” flavors you can’t get anywhere else), along with luscious sundaes, amazing shakes, cool fruit smoothies, creative ice cream cakes, and more euphoria than you can shake a scoop at.

Scoop shop items on a counter in a shop

Ingredients that taste good and do good

We’re committed to making the best possible ice cream in the best possible way...by sourcing non-GMO and Fairtrade ingredients, eggs from Certified Humane cage-free farms, and milk & cream from family farms in our “Caring Dairy” sustainable farming program.

Ben & Jerry’s operates on a three-part mission that aims to create linked prosperity for everyone that’s connected to our business: suppliers, employees, farmers, franchisees, customers, and neighbors alike.

Learn more about our Mission and Values at www.benjerry.com/values.

Person seated at a table holding an ice cream shake

We’re looking for you, if you…

  • Are socially conscious, and active in your community.
  • Are passionate about operating an ethical, responsible business.
  • Will be active in the business.
  • Have at least two years of business management experience with P&L responsibility.
  • Have excellent business acumen, project management skills, and the ability to build and execute a business plan.
  • Are systems-oriented, and understand and value a franchise system.
  • Have the ability to recruit, train, and motivate staff, according to our standards.
  • Have a competitive drive and are committed to succeed, with realistic expectations.
  • Demonstrate honesty, integrity and humility and are a team player.
  • Possess strong interpersonal and communication skills and are fluent in English.
  • Know how to use a computer and apply technology.
  • Have a college degree or higher (preferred).
  • Have a strong credit history and a minimum net worth of $350,000, with $100,000 in liquidity (cash and securities, not including retirement accounts).

Inquiry Form

Start-up costs and fees

The start-up costs of opening a Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop can vary, depending on where, when and what you’ve decided to open. We’ll talk you through all of the things that can affect your start-up costs in detail later. But for now, here’s a rough idea of the costs, including the franchise fee.

Full-Size Shop (approximately 750 to 1200 sq. ft.) $237,800 to $549,300

In-Line Scoop Shop (approximately 450 to 650 sq. ft.) $205,800 to $384,800

Kiosk (approximately 100 to 200 sq. ft.) $155,900 to $331,800

Three months’ operating expenses (estimate): $50,000 to $75,000

Franchise Fee — $39,500 (traditional); $18,000 (special venue)
Royalty — Up to 5% and can change upon notice
National Marketing — 2%
Local Marketing Commitment — 2%

Strong support

We’ve got a great recipe for operating a scoop shop, and a world-class team to provide “scoop-to-nuts” expertise.

We guide you every step of the way, beginning with your search for the right location, to training, to marketing, and to ongoing operational support for the life of your business.
 

Location, location, location

Finding a good site for your scoop shop makes all the difference in the world. While you are ultimately responsible for choosing your site, to help you go about your search we provide a Site Selection Playbook full of tips, tools, and a detailed overview of our criteria. Our Site Approval Committee reviews your site proposals against this set of criteria built from over 35 years in the business, and our approval is necessary to go forward with the location.

Here's what we're looking for:

Locations with high levels of foot traffic where people spend discretionary income, particularly during their leisure time, such as:

  • Large, vibrant downtowns, especially tourist sections of a downtown where people go to experience and enjoy a city.
  • Entertainment centers.
  • Tourist/vacation destinations such as beaches and boardwalks.
  • Captive locations like airports, amusement parks, and large universities.

Design & Build

Once you have an approved site, you’ll start the Design & Build Process. Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops come in different shapes and sizes, from full-size stores to smaller walk-up counters and kiosks. Your Design & Build Process will depend on which you choose, and our in-house team will help you all the way.

Our Discovery Process

Excited to learn more about Ben & Jerry’s franchise opportunity? Please, complete and submit our Initial Inquiry Form, and we will send you a link to our Franchise Opportunity Learning Center, which builds on the information you’ve seen here.  

If together we seem like a good fit, we’ll contact you to schedule an introductory call. Next, we’ll send you an application package to complete. If your application meets our criteria, we’ll continue getting to know each other better. We will share our Franchise Disclosure Document, invite you to speak with some franchisees, and give you a considerable opportunity to explore the business. The last step is your visit to the Ben & Jerry’s company headquarters in South Burlington, Vermont.

If we are ultimately a good fit for each other and we extend an offer to you to become a Ben & Jerry’s franchisee, and you accept, you’ll be asked to sign a Preliminary Agreement within 30 days of your formal approval. That’s when the fun really begins!

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • No. However, we are seeking franchisees who will be active in developing their business. We understand that some folks may not be quite ready to quit their day job, but you will need to invest a lot of time being hands-on in getting your business up and running.

  • We do not predict the sales or profitability of any new location. As part of our Discovery Process, we will provide you with a list of our franchisees and locations so that you may contact them directly to discuss sales and earnings information.

  • Ben & Jerry’s does not provide financing. We are looking for candidates with the means to secure financing on their own.

  • No, that is the franchisee’s responsibility, and the franchisee is the leaseholder. You should obtain professional counsel regarding all lease negotiations. Ben & Jerry’s reviews all leases before you sign, but our review is only to verify the terms that we require for our protection. 

  • Most of that depends on you and how much time you have to dedicate to our Discovery Process. On average, it should take between 30 — 45 days for you to fully evaluate our concept, for us to get to know you, and to mutually decide whether or not the "fit" is right. After Discovery Day, approved candidates have 30 days to enter into a Preliminary Agreement; then you would begin your location search. Once you have an approved site and sign a franchise agreement, your site could be open in approximately 4 months.

Please note

This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for information purposes only. Currently, the following states, and regions regulate the offer and sale of franchises: 

California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. There are other U.S. states that regulate the franchisor-franchisee relationship, and/or the offer and sale of "business opportunities" which may cover the franchise described here.

The above information pertains to the United States only.

Get more information on franchise opportunities in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. We are not currently looking for franchisees in other countries. You may check back here in the future to see if other opportunities come available. We are not collecting contact information from markets where we are not franchising at this time.