The Sweet Side of the Brownie Business: How the Greyston Bakery is Transforming the Way For-Profit Companies Effect Social Change

Abstract

Introduction

It’s a hot summer day in Philadelphia, and you need something quick to cool down. With sweat drops forming around your temples, you step into the Ben & Jerry’s on 40th Street by the University of Pennsylvania and order your favorite ice cream—Chocolate Fudge Brownie. As the server scoops the ice cream from its sub-zero freezer and places it on a sugar cone, your mouth begins to water. You remember the many childhood summers when your parents would take you out for ice cream after a long day and, if you were good, they may even have let you get a topping.

You grab a stack of napkins and head to the closest bench to enjoy your treat, with a variety of thoughts, such as “I gotta finish this before it melts,”“I can’t believe I just spent that much for ice cream,” and“It’s gonna take me 2 hours to burn off all these calories,” running through your head. What you are in all likelihood not thinking about, however, is where the products that went into the ice cream came from.

Take a closer look, particularly at the brownie bites.Rich, succulent and with the perfect texture, each brownie bite tells a story. A story, as it turns out, of overcoming hardship on a path to a better life. A story that begins with a man on a mission to save lives.This is the story of Bernie Glassman and his Greyston Bakery.