The Brownies
The wonderfully fudgy brownies we use in our ice cream come from New York's Greyston Bakery. At Greyston, producing delicious baked brownies is just part of their greater mission to unlock the power of human potential through inclusive employment, one person at a time.
If you've ever enjoyed our Chocolate Fudge Brownie or Half-Baked ice cream flavors, then you've already had a taste of Greyston's greatness. We first tried their incredible brownies back in the late 1980s, and we've been ordering tons of them ever since. But out-of-this-world treats are only part of what makes this bakery so special.
History of Greyston
Greyston was founded in 1982 by aeronautical-engineer-turned-Buddhist-monk Bernie Glassman. Bernie observed great poverty and unemployment in his community and decided he must do something about it. His solution was to create a bakery to fund work among the poor.
In 1987 Glassman met Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen. Inspired by shared values, the two men resolved to work together. Greyston began providing Ben & Jerry's with fudgy brownies for some of our most popular flavors soon after!
A Better Business Model
Today Greyston Bakery is as committed to providing jobs and eliminating barriers to employment as it is to creating world-class gourmet brownies. Their groundbreaking Open Hiring® policy means anyone who wants a job will get a chance to work. There are no background checks and no prescreening of any kind. When a position becomes available, the next person on the waiting list gets it, no questions asked.
They have a saying at Greyston Bakery: "We don't hire people to bake brownies; we bake brownies to hire people." Like Ben & Jerry's, founder Bernie Glassman believed that business success and social progress go hand-in-hand.
A "Best for the World" Certified B Corp and New York State's first Benefit Corporation, Greyston has become a role model for companies looking to do more for their communities.
Small Company Big Impact
Over the years, Greyston has brought thousands of jobs and unlocked millions in economic impact in the Yonkers, NY community. Profits from the bakery help support its parent organization, the non-profit Greyston Foundation, which offers diverse workforce development and training programs paired with wraparound case management and social service support through its Greyston Employment Opportunity Center.
And more good news for those who like their treats with a side of optimism: not only does the Greyston Employment Opportunity Center create pathways to success through workforce development, education, and training programs, it is also scaling the adoption of inclusive hiring throughout businesses in America.