3 min readNew DelhiSep 17, 2025 05:54 PM IST
First published on: Sep 17, 2025 at 05:40 PM IST
For nearly five decades, Jerry Greenfield was the face of Ben & Jerry’s, the ice cream brand from the US that became as famous for its bold activism as its quirky flavours. Now, the co-founder is walking away, saying that parent company Unilever has muzzled the outspoken spirit that once defined the company.
In a letter posted on social media platform X by co-founder Ben Cohen, Greenfield declared that the independence enshrined in Ben & Jerry’s 2000 merger with Unilever had “profoundly” eroded. “For more than 20 years under their ownership, Ben & Jerry’s stood up and spoke out in support of peace, justice and human rights… It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone,” he wrote.
Greenfield’s decision comes amid escalating friction between the brand and its London-based parent. Earlier this year, Ben & Jerry’s accused Unilever of unlawfully ousting its CEO David Stever in retaliation for its political stances.
The company has also sued Unilever in New York, alleging it was blocked from posting statements backing Palestinians during the Gaza war and from flagging issues it believed would face rollback under Donald Trump’s second presidency.
Greenfield linked his exit to what he described as a wider assault on rights in the United States. “Standing up for the values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important, and yet Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power,” he said. “It’s easy to stand up and speak out when there’s nothing at risk. The real test of values is when times are challenging and you have something to lose.”
Unilever, which also owns Magnum, Dove and Hellmann’s, rejected his criticism. A spokesperson for Magnum Ice Cream Company said the group remained committed to Ben & Jerry’s values but added, “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.”
Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever have clashed repeatedly in recent years, particularly after the ice cream maker announced in 2021 that it would stop selling products in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Unilever later sold its Israeli operations to a local company that pledged to continue sales across the region.
The strain comes as Unilever prepares to spin off its global ice cream division, which includes Ben & Jerry’s, by the end of 2025. The conglomerate had once touted its $326 million acquisition of Ben & Jerry’s as a model of corporate partnership that allowed a progressive brand to grow while staying true to its activism.
Ben Cohen, second from left, and Jerry Greenfield, center, founders of Ben & Jerry Homemade Inc., serve ice cream to Washington residents (AP Photo/Nick Wass) 
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