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2. A Letter from our CEO
While 2009 may have been a year that many companies would like to forget, I am pleased to say that it was a landmark year for Ben & Jerry’s. Yes, the numbers will show that 2009 was a difficult year for Ben & Jerry’s in terms of financial performance. The global recession affected our business significantly, both in scoop shops and in our packaged pint business. But I firmly believe that 2009 was one of the best years in the Company’s history – because we’ve never measured our success merely in terms of profits and sales. In addition to our Economic Mission, Ben & Jerry’s three-part mission statement includes a Product Mission, which drives us to make fantastic ice cream for its own sake; and a Social Mission that calls us to use the Company, through unwavering commitment and thoughtful innovations, to serve the common good. In fact, over thirty-plus years, we’ve shown that ongoing investment in our Product and Social Missions is what leads to successful financial performance for Ben & Jerry’s. In this regard, we made as much progress in achieving our complete mission in 2009 as just about any year since the Company began. I say that with confidence because in 2009, we made the decision to transition all Ben & Jerry’s ice cream sold around the world to Fair Trade Certified ingredients by 2013. We announced the commitment in early 2010, but all of the legwork and analysis to support this decision happened inside our Company in 2009. Simply put, it means that going forward, we’ll agree to pay all the farmers who supply us from developing countries a fair price for their crops, as established by Fair Trade criteria and standards. In turn, these farmers will commit to follow environmentally sound practices and invest in their communities. I’ve seen the amazing impact that Fair Trade has on the lives of real people, and I am convinced it’s the single best investment Ben & Jerry’s can make to promote economic justice, social justice, and environmental protection through our global supply chain. That’s because Fair Trade is creating a system through which small farmers, laborers, and entire communities can compete and thrive in the global economy, by growing their crops the right way. It’s a vision of caring capitalism that is wholly aligned with what Ben & Jerry’s stands for. The Fair Trade transition will be an exceedingly complex challenge, so it will take us some time to execute. Change on this scale doesn’t happen overnight. We’ll make the transition as quickly as we can, beginning with our European business in 2011 and extending to our global business by 2013. And when all is said and done, we know we’ll be making a real difference in the lives of tens of thousands of farmers and their families, and rural communities around the globe. That’s not all we accomplished in 2009 in terms of Social Mission, either. You’ll find the full story of our ups – and our downs – from the last year in the pages of this report, including details on:
All of these initiatives speak to the central role that Social Mission plays at Ben & Jerry’s and reinforce my belief that 2009 was truly a landmark year for our Company. I hope you will take the time to read more in the pages that follow. On a personal note, as I write this letter in early 2010, I am preparing to hand off the leadership of Ben & Jerry’s to a new CEO. It has been a great privilege to serve Ben & Jerry’s for nine years, five of them as CEO. I leave with many fond memories, from leading peace protests in Washington, D.C. to launching Ben & Jerry’s in several new countries, to bringing extraordinary new flavors to ice cream lovers everywhere. I am proud of all that we have been able to accomplish together against all three parts of Ben & Jerry’s Mission, especially because I believe so deeply in the value of that Mission. I extend my thanks to all the people of Ben & Jerry’s, past and present, who have worked with such heart and dedication to make 2009 a successful year and to help Ben & Jerry’s live up to its highest ideals. Peace, Love & Ice Cream Walt Freese
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