Jerry Greenfield

Jerry Greenfield (born March 14, 1951) is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist recognized as the co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc., alongside childhood friend Ben Cohen.

Greenfield was born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Merrick, Long Island, where he met Cohen in the seventh grade. After attending Oberlin College and pursuing pre-med studies without completing a medical career, Greenfield and Cohen, seeking a joint business venture following unsuccessful attempts in pottery, enrolled in a $5 correspondence course on ice cream making from Pennsylvania State University.

Jerry Greenfield was born on March 14, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family; his father worked as a stockbroker. The family relocated to Merrick, Long Island, during his early childhood, where Greenfield grew up in a suburban environment typical of post-World War II middle-class Jewish communities in the region.

Greenfield's Jewish upbringing included participation in Hebrew School and a bar mitzvah at a local Reform synagogue, alongside Cohen, fostering a sense of community and cultural identity that echoed in their future emphasis on social values, though primarily manifested in adulthood endeavors. His father's profession in finance may have provided early exposure to economic concepts, yet Greenfield's formative years emphasized personal connections over formal vocational training, setting the stage for his pivot from scientific aspirations to commerce.

Greenfield married Elizabeth Skarie in 1987. The couple had a son, Tyrone, in 1988. They reside in Williston, Vermont, near Burlington. No public records indicate divorce or separation as of 2025. Greenfield identifies as Jewish, a background shared with business partner Ben Cohen that has influenced aspects of Ben & Jerry's branding and philanthropy. There are no verified reports of Greenfield publicly identifying with any non-heterosexual orientation; his personal relationships align with traditional heterosexual norms.