BY: DM
Published 14 seconds ago
Ben & Jerry’s has lost one of its founders, thanks to growing political influence in American markets. Jerry Greenfield, the 74-year-old co-founder of Vermont-based Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, announced on Sept. 17 that he is resigning from the company after nearly 47 years.
Here is a look at why Greenfield is stepping away, and what Unilever had to say about his exit.
Jerry Greenfield says Unilever is trying to silence Ben & Jerry’s.
In a letter shared by his longtime partner Ben Cohen on social media, Greenfield said he could “no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee of Ben & Jerry’s.” He blamed the split on a growing feud with parent Unilever over the company’s social mission, saying the brand he helped build had been silenced.
“Love, equity, justice — they’re part of who Ben and I are, and they’ve always been the true foundation of Ben & Jerry’s,” Greenfield wrote. “From the very beginning, Ben and I believed that our values and the pursuit of justice were more important than the company itself. If the company couldn’t stand up for the things we believed, then it wasn’t worth being a company at all. It was always about more than just ice cream; it was a way to spread love and invite others into the fight for equity, justice, and a better world.”
Greenfield’s resignation came just days after he and Cohen publicly challenged Unilever’s handling of Ben & Jerry’s activism. In his open letter, Greenfield emphasized that the “independence” Ben & Jerry’s enjoyed under Unilever – enshrined in the 2000 merger deal – was now “gone,” at a moment when fighting for civil and human rights is critical.
A spokesperson for Unilever’s new ice cream division – The Magnum Ice Cream Company – responded that it “disagrees with [Greenfield’s] perspective” but remains committed to Ben & Jerry’s mission. In a statement to ABC News, Magnum thanked Greenfield for co-founding the brand and said it had invited both co-founders to join “a constructive conversation” about the company’s values-based mission going forward.
Ben & Jerry’s has a history of advocating for change.
In an Instagram post, Cohen echoed his friend’s complaints, saying Jerry’s legacy “deserves to be true to the values we founded this company on, not silenced by [our corporate parent]. Help us #FreeBenandJerrys.” Cohen and Greenfield’s remarks are no surprise to longtime fans of the ice cream brand, as Ben & Jerry’s has advocated for several causes over the years.
Since 1978, the ice cream maker has tied its products and profits to progressive causes. According to the New York Times, the company committed roughly 7.5% of its profits to a social mission foundation as early as 1985. It also became one of the nation’s first certified B Corporations in 1988, legally binding it to pursue profit and public good.
On LGBTQIA+ rights, the brand extended full health benefits to same-sex partners as early as 1989 and later used its ice cream to celebrate milestones in marriage equality. In 2009, it temporarily renamed its “Chubby Hubby” flavor to “Hubby Hubby” in honor of same-sex weddings. Additionally, in 2015, after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, it released “I Dough, I Dough” under its Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough label.
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