Ben & Jerry's started in a gas station

In 1978, childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield transformed an abandoned gas station in Burlington, Vermont, into the first Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop. With just $12,000 and a five-dollar correspondence course, they launched their dream. This humble beginning exemplifies American entrepreneurship, as two friends with no formal business training built a global brand. Today, the original gas station site is a Ben & Jerry's factory store and museum, preserving its grassroots origins.