Departure Ends Nearly 50 Years at the Company
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield has resigned from the ice cream company, marking the end of an era after nearly half a century. His decision deepens a long-running conflict with parent company Unilever, which he accused of silencing the brand’s activism. In a letter shared online by fellow co-founder Ben Cohen, Greenfield said he could no longer “in good conscience” remain at a business that had lost its independence and its voice on social issues.
Row with Unilever Escalates
The dispute traces back to 2021, when Ben & Jerry’s announced it would stop selling products in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The move sparked backlash and intensified tensions with Unilever. Earlier this year, the company also alleged that Unilever had ordered it to stop publicly criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump. Greenfield said the original 2000 merger agreement promised to protect Ben & Jerry’s social mission, but he believes that promise has been broken. His departure follows the ousting of CEO David Stever in March, a decision that led Ben & Jerry’s to file a legal case against its parent company.
Unilever’s Response
A spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company, now being spun off from Unilever, thanked Greenfield but disagreed with his perspective. They said the company had sought constructive dialogue with both founders about strengthening Ben & Jerry’s values-based positioning. Unilever declined to comment directly on Greenfield’s letter but called it “disappointing” that private discussions had become public. Investment partner Anna Macdonald noted that the brand was built on irreverence and advocacy, and that Unilever had pledged to uphold that legacy, though recent actions suggest otherwise.
Activism at the Core
Since its founding in 1978, Ben & Jerry’s has championed causes from climate change to LGBTQ+ rights, earning a reputation as a company that mixed ice cream with social justice. Cohen, still outspoken, was arrested in May during a protest in the U.S. Senate against military aid to Israel and humanitarian conditions in Gaza. For Greenfield, leaving the company represents both a personal loss and a protest against what he sees as a dilution of the brand’s founding mission. His resignation adds another chapter to a clash over whether activism and corporate ownership can truly coexist.
