Jerry Greenfield is leaving Ben & Jerry’s

Greenfield accused Unilever, which bought the brand in 2000, of stifling the company’s political activism.

It doesn’t matter how many brownie bites he’s leaving on the table, Jerry Greenfield, half of the famous Ben & Jerry’s ice cream duo, announced yesterday that he is leaving the company after almost 50 years, claiming its British owner, Unilever, is silencing the brand.

Greenfield accused Unilever, which bought the brand in 2000, of stifling the company’s political activism, specifically about Gaza and President Trump.

The acquisition agreement allowed Ben & Jerry’s to maintain an independent board responsible for making decisions regarding its social mission. But tensions escalated in 2021 when the ice cream maker said it would stop selling pints in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Last November, Ben & Jerry’s sued Unilever for allegedly threatening to break up its board for voicing support for Palestinian rights and a Gaza ceasefire.
In March, the brand claimed Unilever illegally fired its CEO.
Unilever denied Ben & Jerry’s allegations. A spokesperson for Magnum, which will become the new parent company of Ben & Jerry’s once Unilever completes a spinoff of its ice cream brands, thanked Greenfield for his work “over many decades.”

What next? Ben Cohen, the other co-founder of the iconic brand, appears to be staying with the company. Unilever’s ice cream spinoff, which will combine brands worth about ~$9.3 billion, is expected to close by the end of the year. Unilever will retain a minority stake in Magnum for up to five years as it sells off its remaining shares.