The Ice Cream Giant's Co-founder Jerry Greenfield Resigns, Citing Unilever Muzzled Social Mission
The Vermont-based ice cream maker's co-creator Jerry Greenfield has parted ways from the iconic company after nearly 50 years, according to a message from his business partner Ben Cohen.
The announcement included what he described as a message from Greenfield, in which the exiting co-founder labeled it one of the “toughest and most painful decisions” of his career.
Greenfield stated that the organization had been silenced by its corporate owner and that its independence to speak out on global issues was now “lost.”
“Unless the business was willing to advocate for the things we believed in, then it no longer deserved to exist as a company at all,” Greenfield wrote.
This move came despite a merger agreement designed to safeguard the brand’s ethical commitments, Greenfield added.
“That independence was preserved largely because of the unique merger agreement” that he and Cohen had arranged with Unilever, Greenfield explained.
The ice cream maker and its parent firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the news agency.
Last week, Cohen said that during ongoing tensions with Unilever, the firm had tried to arrange a transfer to investors at a reasonable price of $1.5 to $2.5 billion, but the offer was turned down.
The multinational and Ben & Jerry’s have been in conflict since at least recent years, when the company announced it would halt sales in the contested West Bank. The brand has also sued its owner over accusations to silence it and has referred to the conflict in Gaza “atrocities.”
