Ben & Jerry’s co-founder resigns, claims activism muzzled

Jerry Greenfield, a namesake founder of the Vermont-based ice cream company, stepped down Tuesday after helping run the business for 47 years. The company’s co-founder, Ben Cohen, shared on social media a note from Greenfield about his resignation. In his letter, Greenfield said the ice cream brand lost independence under parent company Unilever and accused the international conglomerate of silencing their social and political activism. Ben & Jerry’s had regularly spoken out in support of peace, justice, and human rights, Greenfield said.

Ben & Jerry’s new parent company, The Magnum Ice Cream Company, is in the process of demerging from Unilever. Magnum said in a statement to the Associated Press that it was grateful for Greenfield’s service and that it had tried to engage with him and Cohen to discuss ways to strengthen the brand. Cohen did not say if he would also leave the company. Neither man has an official role at the company but both served as brand ambassadors to promote and market the business.

What is Ben & Jerry’s history of activism? Cohen and Greenfield have been ardent supporters of LGBTQ activism in addition to racial justice and climate change initiatives. Their company in 2021 ended sales in Israeli-occupied territories in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, saying doing business there was inconsistent with its values. The co-founders have also been outspoken in their criticism of the United States supporting Israel’s war against Hamas. Authorities detained Cohen in May after he interrupted a Senate hearing to protest American funding for Israel’s military.

How did we get here? The two men founded Ben & Jerry’s in 1978 when they began serving ice cream out of a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vt. The business became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unilever in 2000 under an agreement that established an independent board of directors. That agreement ensured the company could continue incorporating social activism into its governance structure and values, Greenfield said in his letter. Last year, Unilever split its ice cream business, including Ben & Jerry’s, into a stand-alone company called The Magnum Ice Cream Company. The American ice cream brand filed a lawsuit against Unilever last November, alleging the U.K.-based business had tried to dismantle the independent board and stop it from making statements about the war in Gaza. Ben & Jerry’s filed another lawsuit against Unilever this spring and accused it of firing Ben & Jerry’s CEO David Stever in retaliation for its activism.

Last week Greenfield and Cohen published an open letter addressed to the Magnum Ice Cream Company board. They demanded Ben & Jerry’s be allowed to operate completely independently. Unilever told CNN that the brand was not for sale and would remain part of Magnum. The new Magnum Ice Cream Company was expected to be publicly listed in November.

Dig deeper: Read Katelyn Walls Shelton’s opinion piece about corporations that claimed pro-life laws are bad for business.