Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Resigns over Parent Company Curbing Activism

By Staff, Agencies

Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, has stepped down from the ice cream brand he helped launch nearly five decades ago, the Financial Times reported.

The Vermont-based company, now owned by UK multinational Unilever, has been accused by Greenfield of undermining its social mission and silencing its activism.

In a letter shared with FT, Greenfield said he could no longer “in good conscience” remain with a brand that had lost the independence he and Ben Cohen secured during the 2000 merger with Unilever.

“That independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement,” he wrote, stressing that its erosion marked the loss of the very foundation of the deal.

The conflict traces back to 2021, when Unilever overruled Ben & Jerry’s decision to halt ice cream sales in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The reversal followed pressure from "Israel" and triggered a dispute between the co-founders, the independent board, and the parent company.