Ben & Jerry’s Cofounder Quits Following Unilever Conflict

Ben & Jerry’s cofounder Jerry Greenfield has quit after 47 years with the company, explaining he made the decision because he felt that their parent company, Unilever, was silencing the ice cream brand.

In light of the announcement, Life & Style is breaking down Greenfield’s exit announcement, Ben & Jerry’s complicated history with Unilever and more.

Ben & Jerry’s Cofounder Announces Exit From Ice Cream Brand

Greenfield announced his decision to leave the company in a statement issued by his business partner, Ben Cohen, via Instagram on Tuesday, September 16.

“It’s with a broken heart that I’ve decided I can no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee of Ben & Jerry’s,” Greenfield said in the statement. “I am resigning from the company Ben and I started back in 1978. This is one of the hardest and most painful decisions I’ve ever made.”

He went on to emphasize that he still loves the Ben & Jerry’s brand and believes the employees who work at the factories, offices and shops “are the soul” of the company.

Greenfield then shared his reasoning for his departure, stating that Ben & Jerry’s used to have “independence to pursue our values, which was guaranteed when Unilever bought the company.”

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“For more than twenty years under their ownership, Ben & Jerry’s stood up and spoke in support of peace, justice and human rights, not as abstract concepts but in relation to real events happening in our world,” he continued. “It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone.”

Greenfield added that the company’s alleged lack of control is “happening at a time when our country’s current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women and the LGBTQ community.”

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“Standing up for the values of justice, equity and our shared humanity has never been more important, yet Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power,” Greenfield said. “It’s easy to stand up and speak out when there’s nothing at risk.”

He then said that the “real test of values” comes when a person has “something to lose.” Greenfield added that companies that won’t stand for their values are “not worth being a company at all.”

Cohen also shared his sad reaction to the news in the post’s caption. “I never thought I would have to write this, but after 47 years Jerry has made the difficult decision to stand down from the company we built together. I am sharing his own words as he resigns from Ben & Jerry’s,” he wrote. “His legacy deserves to be true to the values we founded this company on, not silenced by @magnum.”

He concluded the caption by urging consumers to help “free” Ben & Jerry’s from Unilever, which is under the Magnum Ice Cream Company, by visiting a website link that details their initiative.

Magnum Ice Cream Company Reacts to Jerry Greenfield’s Exit

After Greenfield’s announcement was issued, a spokesperson for the Magnum Ice Cream Company said in a statement to ABC News, “We 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. We thank him for his service and support over many decades and wish him well in his next chapter.”

“We disagree with his perspective and have sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position in the world. We remain committed to Ben & Jerry’s unique three-part mission – product, economic and social – and remain focused on carrying forward the legacy of peace, love, and ice cream of this iconic, much-loved brand,” the statement continued. “Ben & Jerry’s is a proud and thriving part of The Magnum Ice Cream Company and we look forward to further building on its success.”

Inside Ben & Jerry’s History With Unilever

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After Cohen and Greenfield founded Ben & Jerry’s in 1978, Unilever acquired the brand in 2000.

Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s have clashed since 2021 after the ice cream brand said it would stop sales in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to USA Today.

Ben & Jerry’s eventually sued Unilever in 2022 over the parent company’s alleged efforts to silence the brand amid their feelings regarding the Gaza conflict. The companies ultimately settled the lawsuit, with Unilever maintaining operational control, according to Newsweek.

The two companies faced off in another lawsuit in 2024, when Ben & Jerry’s sued Unilever and its U.S. subsidiary, Conopco, in federal court, alleging the companies silenced its attempts to show public support for Palestinian refugees and other causes, according to NPR.

Ben & Jerry’s argued that Unilever’s actions violated their 2000 merger agreement, which created the independent board and gave the original company “primary responsibility for Social Mission Priorities and the Essential Integrity of the Brand.”

The 2024 lawsuit remains ongoing.

Ben & Jerry’s Has a History of Progressive Activism

Ben & Jerry’s has a history of progressive activism. The brand’s website lists many of the organizations they support, including Racial Justice, Fairtrade, Rights and Dignity of Refugees, Our Climate Impact and Climate Justice.

“We love making ice cream — but using our business to make the world a better place gives our work its meaning. Guided by our Core Values, we seek in all we do, at every level of our business, to advance human rights and dignity, support social and economic justice for historically marginalized communities, and protect and restore the Earth’s natural systems,” their website states. “In other words: we use ice cream to change the world.”

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In recent years, Ben & Jerry’s has been open about their pro-Palestine beliefs and explained why they stopped selling their products in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

“We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT),” a statement on their website reads. “We also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners.

After noting they have a “longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region,” the brand explained they “have been working to change this, and so we have informed our licensee that we will not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year.”