‘Independence Gone’: Ben & Jerry’s Co-founder Quits Over Row With Unilever

Last Updated:September 17, 2025, 23:43 IST

Jerry Greenfield resigned from Ben & Jerry’s, citing Unilever’s limits on social advocacy

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The co-founder of ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s, Jerry Greenfield, has resigned, accusing Unilever of curtailing the brand’s ability to give opinions on social and political causes.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Ben Cohen, other co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, said: “After 47 years, Jerry has made the difficult decision to step down from the company we built together. 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.”

He also shared a statement from Greenfield that said quitting was “one of the hardest and most painful decisions” he has made.

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

“Standing up for the values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important, and yet Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power,” he said. “And it’s happening at a time when our country’s current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights of immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ community.”

“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,” he added.

According to CNN, Greenfield and Cohen sold their Vermont-based ice cream company to Unilever in 2000.

Meanwhile, the Magnum Ice Cream Company, which is being spun off from Unilever, said that it has tried to work with the brand’s co-founders.

“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,” a Magnum spokesperson said in a statement.

“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,” the spokesperson told CNN.

Unilever has rejected claims by Ben & Jerry’s.

Tensions between Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company sparked in 2021 when the former ended its sales in occupied Palestinian territories.

Last year, Ben & Jerry’s filed a lawsuit against Unilever, accusing the parent company of censoring its public statements to support Palestinian refugees and resolutions to end military aid to Israel, CNN reported.

Last week, Greenfield and Cohen wrote an open letter addressed to the Magnum Ice Cream Company board, calling for Ben & Jerry’s to be spun off to operate independently, following several disputes over the years about its views on several issues, including criticism of President Donald Trump’s policies and Israel’s war in Gaza.

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