Ben & Jerry's co-founder resigns citing loss of independence under Unilever

Jerry Greenfield says the Vermont-based company has lost its independence since UK parent Unilever curtailed its social activism

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield, whose name helped shape the popular ice cream brand, has quit the company, his partner Ben Cohen said on Wednesday (Sep 17), deepening the rift with parent Unilever.

In an open letter addressing the Ben & Jerry community that was shared by Cohen on social media platform X, Greenfield said that the Vermont-based company has lost its independence since UK parent Unilever curtailed its social activism.

Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s have clashed since 2021, when the Chubby Hubby maker said it would stop sales in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The brand has since sued its parent over alleged efforts to silence it and described the Gaza conflict as “genocide,” a rare stance for a major US company.

Greenfield said he could no longer “in good conscience” continue working for a company that had been “silenced” by Unilever, despite a merger agreement meant to safeguard the brand’s social mission.

“That independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement Ben and I negotiated with Unilever,” he wrote in the letter.

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A Magnum Ice Cream company spokesperson said that it disagrees with Greenfield’s perspective and has sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position in the world.

Unilever did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Last week, Ben Cohen said the brand had attempted to engineer a sale to investors at a fair market value between US$1.5 billion and US$2.5 billion amid tensions with Unilever, but the proposal was rejected. REUTERS