Ben & Jerry’s Co‑Founder Jerry Greenfield Resigns, Says Unilever Has ‘Silenced’ the Brand

Jerry Greenfield, co‑founder of Ben & Jerry’s, has resigned from the ice cream maker he helped launch in 1978, saying he could no longer "in good conscience" remain with a company that had been "silenced" by parent Unilever amid a years‑long dispute over the brand’s political activism.

In an open letter shared by co‑founder Ben Cohen on X, Greenfield said the brand had lost its independence despite a merger agreement intended to protect Ben & Jerry’s social mission. The resignation follows a dispute that began in 2021 when Unilever reversed course on an arrangement that would have allowed Ben & Jerry’s to stop selling its products in occupied Palestinian territories.

Ben & Jerry’s has since sued Unilever, alleging efforts by the parent to silence the company’s activism; the Vermont‑based brand and some of its supporters have described the Gaza conflict as "genocide." Greenfield’s departure comes as Ben & Jerry’s pushes for a spin‑off ahead of a planned initial public offering of Unilever’s ice cream division, Magnum Ice Cream Company, which is expected to list in November.

A spokesperson for Magnum said the company was "forever grateful to Jerry for his role in co‑founding such an amazing ice cream company," adding that it disagreed with his perspective and had tried to engage both co‑founders constructively. The spokesperson said Magnum remained "committed to Ben & Jerry’s unique three‑part mission – product, economic and social" and that the business looked forward to "carrying forward the legacy of peace, love, and ice cream of this iconic, much‑loved brand." Magnum also said Greenfield stepped down as a brand ambassador and that he is not a party to the lawsuit.

Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000, and the acquisition included provisions intended to preserve the ice cream maker’s social mission. The 2021 clash began when Ben & Jerry’s announced it would cease sales in the occupied Palestinian territories; Unilever later said the move as originally framed could not be implemented and asserted it would continue to sell the product in Israel through a third party, prompting legal and public relations battles.

Ben Cohen has publicly urged that Ben & Jerry’s be freed to protect its social values. According to Cohen, the co‑founders explored engineering a sale of Ben & Jerry’s to investors at a fair market value between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion, a proposal he said was rejected. New Magnum chief executive Peter ter Kulve has rebuffed calls to release the brand from the parent company ahead of the Magnum listing.

Unilever has said it will retain a 20 percent stake in Magnum following the planned IPO but expects to reduce that holding over time. The planned listing has heightened tensions between the co‑founders and Unilever because a public separation could affect Ben & Jerry’s ability to pursue an activist agenda independent of the parent company.

Greenfield’s resignation is the latest development in a dispute that has drawn attention from activists, investors and politicians, and it comes as corporate boards and consumer brands continue to navigate the balance between social advocacy and shareholder interests. The outcome of the litigation between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever, and the decisions Unilever makes ahead of the Magnum IPO, will be closely watched for their implications on how multinational companies manage subsidiary branding and political expression.

Ben & Jerry’s was founded by Cohen and Greenfield in a renovated Vermont gas station in 1978 and retained a socially conscious mission through the sale to Unilever. The company’s current legal challenges and leadership departures add uncertainty to the brand’s future role as a public face of corporate activism as the ice cream division moves toward a separate listing.