Ben & Jerry’s leftist co-founder Jerry Greenfield is melting away from the famed ice cream brand he co-founded 47 years ago, claiming parent company Unilever is stopping it making the world a better place full of peace, joy, love and harmony – one sugary serve at a time.
In a missive co-founder Ben Cohen posted on social media platform X on Greenfield’s behalf, the latter claimed he felt the independence the brand had to speak on social issues and events was lost to Unilever.
In the past its many social justice causes have included – but not been restricted to – calling for the defunding of police, opposing legislation banning men from women’s sports, taking anti-Israel stances, and promoting Democratic candidates.
He wrote:
For more than 20 years under their ownership, Ben & Jerry’s stood up and spoke out in support of peace, justice and human rights, not as abstract concepts, but in relation to real events happening in our world.
That independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement Ben and I negotiated with Unilever, one that enshrined our social mission and values in the company’s governance structure in perpetuity. It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone.
Being silenced from commenting on world events and being asked to simply concentrate on making sweet treats was just all too much for the woke brand and its drivers.
Greenfield said the loss of independence was coming “at a time when our country’s current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women and the LGBTQ community.”
“Standing up for the values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important, and yet Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power,” he said.
“It’s easy to stand up and speak out when there’s nothing at risk. The real test of values is when times are challenging and you have something to lose.”
A spokesperson for Magnum Ice Cream Company said in a statement on Wednesday it would be forever grateful to Greenfield for his contributions to Ben & Jerry’s and thanked him for his service, but was not aligned with his viewpoint.
British giant Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000 for $326 million. At the time, Ben & Jerry’s said the partnership would help the Vermont-based ice cream company expand its “social mission.”
That “social mission” has delivered woke flavors such as Pecan Resist, Change the Whirled, and Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee to promote leftist causes and candidates.
In May, the 74-year-old Ben Cohen was removed from a U.S. Senate hearing after shouting “Congress pays for bombs to kill children in Gaza” and startling Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
A longtime critic of Israeli policy, Cohen last year joined prominent Jewish figures in an open letter opposing the pro‑Israel lobby AIPAC.
School friends Cohen and Greenfield started the brand in 1978.
