In a significant development that underscores the escalating tensions between Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company Unilever, co-founder Jerry Greenfield has officially stepped down. His partner, Ben Cohen, announced Greenfield’s departure, highlighting a deep-seated disagreement over the ice cream brand’s diminishing independence and its commitment to social activism.
Greenfield conveyed his decision in an open letter shared by Cohen on a social media platform. In it, he expressed that the Vermont-based company has lost its vital autonomy, asserting that Unilever, the UK-based conglomerate, has actively curbed Ben & Jerry’s ability to pursue its social mission.
The friction between Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s has been public since 2021, when the ice cream producer, famous for flavors like “Chubby Hubby,” declared its intention to cease sales in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. This controversial move sparked a prolonged dispute.
Adding to the conflict, the brand later pursued legal action against Unilever, alleging attempts to stifle its voice, and controversially characterized the Gaza conflict as “genocide” – an unusually strong political stance for a major American corporation.
Greenfield stated unequivocally that he could no longer, in good conscience, remain involved with a company he felt had been “silenced” by Unilever. He emphasized that this erosion of independence occurred despite a carefully crafted merger agreement designed specifically to protect Ben & Jerry’s unique social mission.
Recalling the original terms, Greenfield wrote in his letter, “That independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement Ben and I negotiated with Unilever.”
A spokesperson for Magnum Ice Cream, another Unilever brand, expressed disagreement with Greenfield’s perspective. They maintained that Unilever has consistently sought to engage with both co-founders in constructive dialogue aimed at strengthening Ben & Jerry’s impactful values-based position on the global stage.
At the time of this report, Unilever had not yet publicly responded to inquiries regarding Greenfield’s resignation.
Just a week prior to this announcement, Ben Cohen revealed that Ben & Jerry’s had attempted to orchestrate a sale to external investors at a fair market valuation ranging from $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion, a proposal that was ultimately rejected by Unilever.