The Dictatorship
Jerry of Ben & Jerry’s quits, says he was silenced for activism
By Are Salam
After a long, rocky road with parent company Unilever, Jerry of Ben & Jerry’s is leaving the famous ice cream company over allegations that his voice was being stifled on social justice issues.
In a public letter shared by company co-founder Ben Cohen on social media, Jerry Greenfield wrote: “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.”
Greenfield and Cohen opened their first ice cream shop together in 1978 in a renovated Vermont gas station. Greenfield wrote that it’s “profoundly disappointing” to realize they have lost their longtime independence to pursue their social mission and values — something he said was guaranteed when Unilever acquired their ice cream business for $326 million in 2000.
“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 wrote, referring to the company’s activism on Israel’s war in Gaza, marriage equality, Indigenous rights and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Despite Greenfield and Cohen’s objections to doing business in occupied Palestinian territory, Unilever sold its Ben & Jerry’s business in Israel in 2022 to a licensee in the region. In November 2024, Ben & Jerry’s sued Unileveralleging that its parent company had violated their merger agreement by trying to censor it on social justice issues.
“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,” Greenfield wrote. “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.”
The co-founders have separately launched a campaign to “free” Ben & Jerry’s from The Magnum Ice Cream Company, which is absorbing Unilever’s ice cream business.
“Unilever is expected to remain a shareholder, and Magnum’s leadership will be many of the same people involved in Unilever’s efforts to silence Ben & Jerry’s,” the campaign’s website says.
A Magnum spokesperson told BLN in a statement that the company will be “forever grateful to Jerry for his role in co-founding such an amazing ice cream company, turning his passion for delicious ice cream and addressing social causes into a remarkable success story.”
The spokesperson 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.
We remain committed to Ben & Jerry’s unique three-part mission — product, economic and social — and remain focused on carrying forward the legacy of peace, love, and ice cream of this iconic, much-loved brand.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter and producer for BLN Digital. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.