The ice cream company Ben & Jerry's Israel is building a new factory in Israel, in the new industrial zone of Kiryat Gat, with an estimated investment of about NIS 130 million.
The company's factory is currently located in the Be'er Tovia industrial area.
The new factory, which is expected to open in 2026, will expand to other areas such as the production of tailons, slingshots and cassettes.
A visitor center, a Ben & Jerry's ice cream flagship store and a logistics center will also be opened in the new factory.
The company plans to bring to Israel innovations in the field of ice creams and snacks, to increase the variety along with expanding the bakery division of the Brunch and Crunch brand, with the products Parcel, Belgian waffles, blinches and more.
Avi Singer CEO of Ben & Jerry's Israel, photo: Avi Rokah
"We decided to move to Kiryat Gat because there we have all the ideal conditions for us in terms of infrastructure," says Avi Singer, owner and CEO of Ben & Jerry's Israel, "Now we are in a place where we are quite limited in terms of storage and production areas.
People who come to the Ben & Jerry's visitor center have foreign expectations, and they will get that at the new location."
Regarding the choice to stay in the southern region, he says: "We are moving from the southern Tobiah well. We are in the line of fire, we always have been, and this time we are a little deviating to the coastline. It has never bothered us. Our main supply is cream and eggs, which come from settlements in the south and the surrounding area. We are part of inseparable from the region".
And what about price increases?
Singer replies: "All these years we have been fighting not to raise prices. Although everything is getting more expensive: the transportation, the cream and more, but we are not raising prices now. Last year we raised prices by several percent after 7 years when the price remained stable. We must remember that in 2023 the dollar exchange rate increased by 14%. The transition will help us become more efficient, and that way we will be able to absorb price increases."
Ice creams at the Ben & Jerry's factory in Israel, photo: Yossi Zeliger
We will recall that the Israeli Ben & Jerry's broke away from the global company after in July 2021 the international company decided to stop selling its products beyond the green line.
The Jewish founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfeld, explained at the time that the move stems from their ideological opposition to the government's policy in the settlements, which triggered a struggle on the part of Israeli society.
Singer emphasizes: "Everyone understands today that we are a local company, both in terms of raw materials and in terms of employees. We have no non-legal or commercial relationship with the company abroad.
We have the same raw materials, formulas and the exact same ice cream, but beyond that our activity is disconnected and our agenda is Israeli.
At first people didn't understand that there was no connection between us, and there are still a few who don't understand it.
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