Key Points
- Jerry Greenfield co-founded the company with his partner Ben Cohen in 1978.
- The brand has a history of supporting progressive causes.
- Unilever expressed disagreement with Greenfield’s reasons for leaving.
Greenfield noted that this occurred amidst an environment where the current US government is “targeting civil rights, voting rights, immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ community”.
The acquisition of Ben and Jerry’s by Unilever in 2000 allowed the brand to retain its board with control over social missions, but not over business operations.
Ben Cohen (left) and Jerry Greenfield at an event during the 2024 election campaign in support of Kamala Harris. Source: Getty / Lisa Lake
In Greenfield’s statement, he said it was “profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone”.
However, Ben and Jerry’s was unable to prevent Unilever from selling its ice cream in West Bank settlements. This happened after Unilever sold its Israeli business to a local licensee, prompting a lawsuit from Ben and Jerry’s, which was eventually resolved.
Jerry Greenfield (left) started Ben and Jerry’s with Ben Cohen in 1978. The company was acquired by the British multinational Unilever in 2000. Source: AAP / AP / Toby Talbot
The brand has sued Unilever a second time over alleged efforts to muzzle it and dismantle the social mission board.
