Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Quits Over Silenced Social Mission

By Staff, Agencies

Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, has resigned from the company after nearly five decades, saying he could no longer stay on while its social mission was being stifled by parent company Unilever.

In a letter shared Tuesday on X by his longtime business partner Ben Cohen, Greenfield, 74, said he could not “in good conscience” remain an employee.

“It was always about more than just ice cream,” he wrote, stressing that the values of peace, justice and human rights had been at the heart of the company since its founding.

Greenfield explained that when Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000, a unique merger agreement guaranteed the company independence to pursue its values. For more than 20 years, the brand spoke out on issues from civil rights to voting rights, women’s rights, immigration and other issues.

“From the very beginning, Ben and I believed that our values and the pursuit of justice were more important than the company itself,” he said. But according to Greenfield, that independence “has disappeared”.

Tensions between the Vermont-based ice cream maker and Unilever have sharpened in recent years, particularly over the company’s refusal to sell in illegal “Israeli” settlements. That 2021 decision led to legal battles with Unilever, which accused the brand of breaching its global business strategy.

Greenfield’s resignation follows Ben & Jerry’s lawsuit against Unilever last November, alleging that its leadership silenced the company on four occasions when it tried to speak out on Gaza—including calling for a ceasefire, urging an end to US military aid to the “Israeli” entity, supporting pro-Palestinian student protests, and advocating for safe passage of refugees.

According to the filing, Unilever’s ice cream chief at the time, Peter der Kulve, argued that taking such positions could fuel “a continued perception of antisemitism”.

The dispute has intensified since Ben & Jerry’s was shifted under Unilever’s Magnum Ice Cream Company earlier this month, ahead of Unilever’s planned spinoff of its ice cream division in November. Both Unilever and Magnum have rejected calls from Cohen and Greenfield to sell Ben & Jerry’s to a group aligned with its social mission.

Cohen, who has remained vocal on political issues, was arrested in May while protesting US military aid to the “Israeli” entity at a Senate hearing. He has since launched a public campaign pressing Magnum and Unilever to let the company operate independently and continue speaking out on Gaza, racial justice, and other causes.

Greenfield described stepping down as one of the “hardest and most painful decisions” of his life. “The real test of values is when times are challenging and you have something to lose,” he wrote.

Ben & Jerry’s did not respond to requests for comment.