Karen Morse and Antonio McBroom on Why Ben & Jerry's Values Keep Them Invested

This Ben & Jerry's brand video is built around two on-camera franchisee voices — Karen Morse and Antonio McBroom — explaining what the experience side of the business actually feels like to run. Antonio's first encounter with Ben & Jerry's was as a customer: walking into a scoop shop, smelling fresh waffle cones, hearing the music, and tasting a vanilla Heath white-crunch milkshake he calls true euphoria. That memory is the specific kind of moment he now wants every guest in his store to walk out with. Karen's framing is more about the cultural job of the brand. A trip to the ice-cream store, in her words, is one of those things that genuinely tugs at the heartstrings — a small ritual families remember. The bar she sets for her own scoop shop is whether a guest can feel that something is different about the place the second they walk in: that the staff are happy, that there is energy, and that a transaction has been replaced by an experience. Both franchisees connect the customer experience back to a values-led operating model. Ben & Jerry's, in their telling, is not a franchise that asks owners to choose between profitability and being a good corporate citizen — supporting the community, leaning into causes, and giving back are presented as part of the same business plan as running a strong store. The Vermont support team is described as accessible and responsive, and as actively keeping franchisees' businesses front of mind during higher-level brand decisions. The closing message is about the kind of franchise community Ben & Jerry's attracts: owners who want to be part of something larger than an investment, with shared values around community, fun, marketing creativity and basic business sense. This watch page is part of the Ben & Jerry's AU content series on Franchise Direct.