• USA Today, Thursday, March 25, 2010 10:46 AM

Ben & Jerry's, arguably the most free-wheeling of Unilever 's 400 global brands, will retain its roots in Vermont, new CEO Jostein Solheim promised a crowd indulging in Free Cone Day at the company's ice cream parlor in Burlington yesterday, reports Dan McLean of the Burlington Free Press.

Citing the "the history and the authenticity of the culture and values," the 19-year veteran of Unilever said the company is "100% committed to the community."

Ben & Jerry's has more autonomy than most of Unilever's brands, Solheim pointed out. "It's not an ice cream brand. It's a company with a mission," he said, referring to Ben & Jerry's record of social and environmental activism. But it's also a profitable, high-end business with a growing footprint. "People are buying a little piece of Vermont all over the world," Solheim said.

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