Women’s History Month Spotlight: Ben & Jerry’s

Dani Weiner, the owner of Ben & Jerry’s at The Village Shops sat down with us in Naples only scoop shop to tell the tale of how it all began. Her brother, Eric Weiner, opened the Ben & Jerry’s store on January 28, 1988 and their family has been serving up sweet treats for 37 seasons!

Originally from Vermont, where the very first Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop opened, the Weiner family had a winter home across the street from The Village as it was being developed. After Eric graduated from high school, their mom, who personally knew the Ben & Jerry’s owner Ben Cohen from Vermont, called Ben directly and said they wanted to open a store in Naples. One thing led to another and The Village Shops’ Ben & Jerry’s became the first Florida franchise and is now the only Naples location!

Under Dani’s management, Ben & Jerry’s at The Village Shops has created creative, community-driven initiatives including BYOP (Bring Your Own Pet) a birthday party for her dog, ice cream punch cards for students at Sea Gate Elementary, and Fire & Ice, a post 9/11 event that gained national recognition in USA Today for having firefighters scoop ice cream for the day.

When asked what she loves most about owning Ben & Jerry’s at The Village Shops, Dani will proudly state “the people”, the joy of connecting with fascinating people from all over the world! If you ask her favorite flavor, she will pull out a sample of Ben & Jerry’s newest flavor, Dulce De-Lish (salted caramel ice cream, caramel bar chunks, caramel swirls, caramel swirled whipped topping, and sea salt fudge chunks). YUM!

Visit Dani and her team on the north side of The Village Shops in suite 212.