Community
Print
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the founders of Ben & Jerry’s, have written an open letter asking for the iconic ice cream brand to be “freed” from its corporate obligations.
Ben & Jerry’s is currently owned by Unilever, but will soon become part of The Magnum Ice Cream Company as part of the former’s de-merger. The brand’s founders are now calling for help to make Ben & Jerry’s independent again, which “will allow it to go back to its roots.”
Read more: Vivera Buys The Vegetarian Butcher From Unilever
In the open letter addressed to the company’s board and prospective investors, Cohen and Greenfield say that the brand’s founding mission of social justice “has been silenced by Unilever” in recent years, particularly when they have tried to speak out about “unjust wars.”
“When we founded Ben & Jerry’s in 1978, we had a simple but radical idea: that a business could thrive by making great products while standing up for progressive values and social justice,” said Cohen and Greenfield. “Over the past five decades, Ben & Jerry’s has become successful precisely because people know it stands for something deeper than ice cream.”
Although the two founders have no control over the brand’s day-to-day operations, they have remained employees to uphold their social justice mission. However, on Thursday, Greenfield announced that he would be leaving Ben & Jerry’s after nearly 50 years due to the ongoing dispute over messaging.
In a note shared to Cohen’s social media, Greenfield said, “If the company couldn’t stand up for the things we believed, then it wasn’t worth being a company at all.”
Ben & Jerry’s social mission board took legal action against Unilever in 2024, saying that the parent company had attempted to dismantle the board and sue its directors to prevent public statements in support of Palestinian refugees displaced by the war in Gaza.
At the time, a Unilever spokesperson rejected the claims. They said that the company would defend its case “very strongly,” but declined to comment further on a legal matter.
Read more: Vegans Raise £6,000 For Farming Mental Health Charity
‘The strength of Ben & Jerry’s lies in the authenticity of its values’
Ben & Jerry’s describes its “progressive, nonpartisan social mission that seeks to meet human needs and eliminate injustices” as a core principle of the brand.
“The strength of Ben & Jerry’s lies in the authenticity of its values and its voice, whether in opposing crimes against humanity, speaking out against white supremacy, supporting marriage equality, demanding climate justice, or insisting that businesses have responsibilities beyond profitability,” wrote Cohen and Greenfield in the open letter.
As reported by the Guardian, a spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company said: “Ben & Jerry’s is a proud part of The Magnum Ice Cream Company and is not for sale. We remain committed to Ben & Jerry’s unique three-part mission – product, economic and social – and look forward to building on its success as an iconic, much-loved business.”
Ben & Jerry’s introduced its first nondairy ice cream flavors nearly a decade ago. Between 2016 and 2024, Ben & Jerry’s expanded this plant-based range to include 20 flavors, accounting for 25 percent of its global portfolio. In January, the brand introduced a dairy-free version of its Bohemian Raspberry flavor, which raises money for the Mercury Phoenix Trust and the fight against HIV and AIDS.
Read more: Ben & Jerry’s Launches First New Flavor Made From Oat Milk
