Unilever subsidiary Ben & Jerry’s has taken on a UK charity as a franchisee for one of its ice cream shops. The Furniture Resource Centre Group, in Liverpool, which refurbishes furniture for local authorities, has opened the outlet in Chester, northern England, and intends to plough profits into social ventures.
Ben & Jerry’s, which is based in the US and was acquired by Unilever two years ago, has granted franchises to American non-profit organizations for 16 years, but this is the first in the UK.
Altogether 14 stores are run by non-profits in the US under the company’s PartnerShop programme. The UK shop will follow the American model, training between 20 and 40 young people annually.
FRC chief executive Liam Black said his organization intends to take up more Ben & Jerry’s franchises during the next three years.
The company waives its franchise fee, which can be up to $30,000 (£17,000) in the US, and also royalty payments, but franchisees must still pay the costs of opening the outlet and of training. However, the franchisee keeps any profits.
Ben & Jerry’s has launched a brand of ice cream made with coffee extract certified by the Rainforest Alliance as meeting its standards on the protection of workers and wildlife. The Coffee for a Change ice cream contains extract from beans sourced from a co-operative of small farmers in Mexico. The farmers are working with the US-based non-governmental organization on soil conservation, wildlife protection, fair wages and workplace standards.