After nearly 50 years, Ben & Jerry's Jerry Greenfield has resigned from the legendary ice cream brand citing political differences from the brand's parent company Unilever and a desire to be true to his values as the reason for parting.
Greenfield shared the news of his departure in a social media post earlier this week shared by fellow co-founder Ben Cohen .
"It's with a broken heart that l've decided I can no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee of Ben & Jerry's," the statement reads .
"I am resigning from the company Ben and I started back in 1978. This is one of the hardest and most painful decisions l've ever made."
Greenfield said the company was always "more than just ice cream" and that it was the "independence to pursue our values," that made the brand so much more.
Ben & Jerry's merged with Unilever to join their portfolio of brands which includes Dove, Magnum ice cream and more, back in 2000.
In 2024, Unilever announced it would build out its ice cream division under Magnum Global .
Ben & Jerry's now operates under Magnum Global but both are under the Unilever umbrella .
Greenfield acknowledged Ben & Jerry's ability to continuing honoring their values to stand up for peace, justice and human rights under Unilever for the past 20-plus years, however, he notes "It's profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence ... is gone."
Fellow co-founder Cohen said Greenfield's legacy "deserves to be true to our values," and "not silenced by MagnumGlobal."
Greenfield said the company he and Cohen founded was built on "Love, equity [and] justice," and that "If the company couldn't stand up for the things we believed in, then it wasn't worth being a company at all."
Unilever issued a statement disagreeing with Greenfield's claims and states it 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."
A spokesperson for the Magnum Ice Cream Company told MassLive the company will "be forever grateful to Jerry for his role in co-founding such an amazing ice cream company, turning his passion for delicious ice cream and addressing social causes into a remarkable success story."
Ongoing tensions
Ben & Jerry's has been at odds with Unilever for a while.
In March, Ben & Jerry's claimed its CEO was unlawfully removed by Unilever in retaliation for the ice cream maker's social and political activism , MassLive previously reported .
In a federal court filing, Ben & Jerry's said that Unilever informed its board on March 3 that it was removing and replacing then-CEO David Stever.
Ben & Jerry's said the move violated its merger agreement, which states any decisions regarding a CEO's removal must come after consulting with an advisory committee from the Ben & Jerry's board.
Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry's in 2000 for $326 million.
At the time, Ben & Jerry's believed the partnership would help the progressive Vermont-based ice cream company expand its social mission but lately, the marriage hasn't been a happy one.
In 2021, Ben & Jerry's announced it would stop serving Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and contested East Jerusalem.
Then, the following year, Unilever sold its Israeli business to a local company that said it would sell Ben & Jerry's under its Hebrew and Arabic name throughout Israel and the West Bank.
Ben & Jerry's went on to sue Unilever in federal court in New York, accusing it of silencing Ben & Jerry's statements in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war, in November 2024.
The complaint charged that Unilever refused to let the company release a social media post that identified issues it believed would be challenged during President Donald Trump's second term, including minimum wages, universal health care, abortion and climate change.
What about Ben?
In an interview with NBC News earlier this week , Ben Cohen — the Ben of Ben & Jerry's, who still works for the company — said he believes leaving the company is "the right move for Jerry," adding "this conflict from Unilever has been tearing him apart for quite some time."
Despite the tensions between the Ben & Jerry's values and parent company Unilever, Cohen said he is staying with the company because his "heart says to keep fighting."
His hopes are to keep "the heart and soul of Ben & Jerry's alive," by putting enough pressure on MagnumGlobal to "abide by the acquisition agreement and allow Ben & Jerry's to be owned by social aligned investors."
Cohen said Ben & Jerry's is asking customers for their support to "free Ben & Jerry's so that the company can continue to actualize its social mission."
Cohen signed a #freebenandjerrys tag in his official statement regarding Greenfield's departure on X earlier this week.
Since then, the company has launched a support site called Freebenandjerrys.com asking customers to "join in" the "fight" to return the company "back to its roots as a company driven by values, authenticity."
More Business News
-
What is #freebenandjerrys and why are the company's founders involved?
-
A new Costco in Central Mass.? Here's the plan, according to town officials
-
An iconic 'haunted' Mass. inn is for sale — with an unbelievable price
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
