Jerry of Ben & Jerry’s Resigns, Saying Company Has Been ‘Silenced’

Business|Jerry of Ben & Jerry’s Resigns, Saying Company Has Been ‘Silenced’

One of Ben & Jerry’s founders, Jerry Greenfield, has resigned from the ice cream company, saying that the company’s independence had been lost and its social activism “silenced” under the control of its parent company, Unilever.

The move, announced by fellow co-founder Ben Cohen on social media early Wednesday, follows years of mounting tensions between Unilever, which acquired the ice cream company in 2000, and the Ben & Jerry’s founders, who have long been outspoken on social issues. The relationship especially deteriorated since the start of the war in Gaza.

In the statement, Mr. Greenfield said he could no longer “in good conscience” remain at the company he helped start in 1978.

Mr. Greenfield said that the “independence to pursue our values” that had been guaranteed for Ben & Jerry’s when it merged with Unilever in 2000 had been lost. “Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power,” he added.

Under the acquisition deal, Unilever agreed to let Ben & Jerry’s maintain an independent board to oversee the brand, allowing Ben & Jerry’s to place “guardrails” around its social activism and giving its founders continued control of the company.

For over 20 years, the company was able to speak out on issues it cared about, Mr. Greenfield wrote. But, he added, “It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone.”

Unilever is in the process of spinning off its ice cream unit, which includes Ben & Jerry’s, into a new entity, Magnum Ice Cream Company. The new company issued a statement Wednesday thanking Mr. Greenfield for “his service and support over many decades.”

“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,” the statement said.

It added that the company remained 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.”

This year, Ben & Jerry’s accused Unilever of firing its chief executive because he permitted the ice cream maker to speak out on political issues. Unilever said it had made repeated attempts to engage the Ben & Jerry’s independent board, as per the merger agreement.

And last year, Ben & Jerry’s sued Unilever, accusing the consumer goods giant of trying to dismantle the independent board and seeking to prevent it from calling for a cease-fire to the war in Gaza. Unilever rejected the claims.

Claire Moses contributed reporting.