Cofounder Jerry Greenfield leaves Ben & Jerry’s over political dispute

Jerry Greenfield, cofounder of Ben & Jerry’s, is leaving the iconic ice cream brand he started in 1978 with pal Ben Cohen, after ongoing political disputes with British parent company Unilever.

“After 47 years, Jerry has made the difficult decision to step down from the company we built together,” Cohen wrote on X. “I’m sharing his words as he resigns from Ben & Jerry’s. His legacy deserves to be true to our values, not silenced by @MagnumGlobal.”

Cohen ended the social media post with the hashtag #FreeBenAndJerrys, before sharing Greenfield’s letter online.

In that letter, Greenfield said, “It’s with a broken heart that I’ve decided I can no longer, in good conscience . . . remain an employee,” and accused Unilever of curbing the ice cream brand’s independence to stand up and speak out in support of peace, justice, and human rights—values he claimed were protected under its merger agreement.

The two sold the Vermont-based ice cream brand to Unilever in 2000, but the the relationship between the companies has since eroded, according to CNN.

Ben & Jerry’s is now part of the Magnum Ice Cream Co. (TMICC), which Unilever recently spun off, and is now operating as a stand-alone global ice cream business worth an estimated $8.6 billion as of last year. A Unilever spokesperson told Fast Company that TMICC is expected to list in mid-November in Amsterdam, London, and New York, and will be incorporated in the Netherlands.

“We will be forever grateful to Jerry for his role in cofounding such an amazing ice cream company . . . and addressing social causes into a remarkable success story,” a spokesperson for the Magnum Ice Cream Co. told Fast Company. “We disagree with his perspective and have sought to engage both cofounders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position in the world.”

Ben & Jerry’s ended sales in the West Bank in 2021, saying the political situation in the occupied Palestinian territories was inconsistent with the values of the socially conscious brand, drawing criticism from Israeli officials.

Last year, Ben & Jerry’s sued Unilever, claiming the parent company was trying to stop its effort to express support for Palestinians and a Gaza ceasefire. Ben & Jerry’s later alleged that Unilever threatened, then ousted, CEO Dave Stever for defending the brand’s social mission, thereby breaching the terms of its merger, per The Washington Post.