Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield quits, says Unilever has stifled brand’s independence on social issues
Greenfield, a co-founder for 47 years, says Ben & Jerry’s can no longer speak freely on justice and human-rights issues under Unilever ownership; corporate leaders dispute his characterization
Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, said he is leaving the ice cream maker after 47 years, accusing parent company Unilever of stifling the brand’s independence to speak out on social and political issues.
In a letter posted on the social platform X by co-founder Ben Cohen on Greenfield’s behalf, Greenfield wrote that the freedom to address “peace, justice and human rights” in concrete relation to events around the world has been lost under Unilever’s ownership. He said the independence was guaranteed by a merger agreement negotiated when Ben & Jerry’s sold to Unilever, and that its erosion is “profoundly disappointing.”
“For more than 20 years under their 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,” Greenfield wrote. “That independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement Ben and I negotiated with Unilever, one that enshrined our social mission and values in the company's governance structure in perpetuity. It's profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone.”
Greenfield said the loss of independence comes “at a time when our country's current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women and the LGBTQ community,” and that the company has been “silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power.” He added that Ben & Jerry’s has always been “about more than just ice cream; it was a way to spread love and invite others into the fight for equity, justice and a better world.”
A spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company, part of Unilever’s ice cream portfolio, said the company was “forever grateful” to Greenfield for his contributions and thanked him for his service, but said it did not align with his view that Ben & Jerry’s had been silenced. “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,” the spokesperson said, adding that Unilever remains “committed to Ben & Jerry’s mission” and focused on carrying forward the brand’s legacy.
Tensions between the Vermont-based ice cream maker and Unilever have escalated in recent years. Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000 for $326 million, and the deal included provisions intended to preserve the company’s social mission and a degree of governance independence. In March, Ben & Jerry’s said in a federal court filing that Unilever had unlawfully removed the company’s CEO, David Stever, in retaliation for the brand’s political and social activism. Ben & Jerry’s said such a removal violated the merger agreement, which calls for consultation with an advisory committee from the Ben & Jerry’s board before any dismissal.
In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would stop selling products in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem, a move that drew international attention and controversy. Unilever subsequently sold its Israeli business in 2022 to a local company that said it would sell Ben & Jerry’s under its Hebrew and Arabic name throughout Israel and the West Bank. In November, Ben & Jerry’s sued Unilever in federal court in New York, accusing the parent company of silencing statements in support of Palestinians amid the Gaza war and of blocking a social media post identifying issues the ice cream maker believed would be at risk during a potential second Trump administration, including minimum wages, universal health care, abortion and climate policy.
Unilever, which also owns brands such as Dove and Hellmann’s, said in March it hoped the Ben & Jerry’s board would engage in the agreed-upon processes laid out in the merger agreement. In May 2024, Unilever announced plans to spin off its ice cream business, including Ben & Jerry’s, by the end of 2025 as part of a broader corporate restructuring.
Greenfield’s departure marks the latest public rupture between the co-founders and Unilever. Ben Cohen, who posted the letter on X, has previously expressed frustration with Unilever’s handling of Ben & Jerry’s activism and governance. The dispute raises questions about how the company’s social mission will be maintained as ownership and corporate structures evolve amid legal battles and Unilever’s strategic changes.
Ben & Jerry’s was founded in Vermont in 1978 and built a reputation for combining product innovation with outspoken political stances. The company’s merger agreement with Unilever was intended to preserve that identity, but in recent months both sides have accused the other of breaching the spirit or letter of those commitments. As legal proceedings and corporate plans to separate Unilever’s ice cream business move forward, the future role of Ben & Jerry’s as a platform for social advocacy remains contested.