A Sweet Scoop of Success

Want to open 15 units in 15 years? Follow the playbook of Primo Partners-Ben & Jerry's only Black-owned multi-unit franchise group.

- By Emily Holmes

When Antonio McBroom graduated from college in 2008, he was given a gift of opportunity: The Ben & Jerry's where he'd been working had gone up for sale. He joined forces with an old friend, Eric Taylor, to buy the franchise, and then one of their marketing interns, Phillip Scotton, became their third partner. The trio formed a limited liability company called Primo Partners, and they've since opened 15 Ben & Jerry's locations across eight states.

What's the secret to their success? In a way, McBroom has been in the ice cream business since he was a child, when he bought ice pops in bulk and then sold them to customers at the bar and restaurant his grandmother ran out of her home. But at Ben & Jerry's, the partners think far beyond the individual product. They also prioritize hiring and mentoring future leaders of color, and donate portions of their revenue to nonprofits working on racial equity, education, and voting access in the communities their shops serve. Here, McBroom shares some lessons he's learned about how to grow something profitable-and meaningful.

What was your first attempt at expanding?