Jerry Greenfield has stepped away from popular ice cream brand, Ben & Jerry’s. Greenfield co-founded the company in 1978. He cites lost independence as the primary reason for his departure, stating that freedom to speak out on social and political issues has been stripped by parent company Unilever.
In a letter shared by co-founder Ben Cohen, Greenfield writes “it’s with a broken heart that I’ve decided I can no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee of Ben & Jerry’s. I am resigning from the company Ben and I started back in 1978. This is one of the hardest and most painful decisions I’ve ever made.”
He accused Unilever of silencing the brand’s voice on matters such as civil rights, immigration, women’s rights and the LGBTQ community.
“For more than twenty 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 writes. “It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to
Unilever, is gone.”
Ben & Jerry’s has had a series of clashes with Unilever since 2020. The company halted sales in Israeli settlements in 2021, a move that led to backlash and prompted Unilever to sell its Israeli business. The brand also sued Unilever over claims of censorship, saying it was blocked from issuing statements on various topics ranging from climate change and abortion, to universal healthcare.
Earlier this year, Ben & Jerry’s accused the parent company of improperly ousting its CEO.
Unilever is spinning off its ice cream portfolio into a stand-alone business called The Magnum Ice Cream Company. A spokesperson thanked Greenfield for his contributions but rejected his account, saying the company remains committed to Ben & Jerry’s mission.
Cohen and Greenfield, though no longer executives, continued to serve as public faces of the Vermont-based brand until now. Greenfield said Ben & Jerry’s is about more than ice cream and that stepping down was the only choice left to him.
Now, in their own words, the brand is “on a mission to free Ben & Jerry’s from Magnum.” Fans can sign up here to learn more and support the continued mission of Cohen and Greenfield.
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