Jerry Greenfield, one of the co-founders of the famous ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s, has left the company. His departure comes after disagreements with Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s parent company, regarding the ongoing aggressive attacks by Jews against Gaza’s population, which have been described as genocide. In a letter, Greenfield stated that Unilever has silenced Ben & Jerry’s voice on social issues in recent years. After 47 years with Ben & Jerry’s, he decided to leave as his conscience no longer allowed him to continue working there. He emphasized that values such as justice, equality, and humanity are more important now than ever, but noted that Ben & Jerry’s voice is being silenced and sidelined to appease those in power.
Greenfield said that since he could no longer wage social battles from within the company, he would continue this work outside of it. He described Ben & Jerry’s as not just an ice cream company, but one that invites others to spread love and work towards improving global issues.
Ben & Jerry’s, founded in 1978, was acquired by Unilever for $326 million in 2000. The agreement allowed Ben & Jerry’s to maintain its own independent board of directors, which has the authority to make decisions regarding the company’s social initiatives but not operational matters.
However, since 2021, disagreements between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever have been escalating. This began when Ben & Jerry’s announced it would stop selling ice cream in Israeli-occupied West Bank. Subsequently, the brand sued its parent company, claiming Unilever was trying to silence Ben & Jerry’s voice. They also described the ongoing attacks on Gaza as acts of “genocide” – a perspective not commonly expressed by major American companies like Ben & Jerry’s.
Last week, Greenfield’s business partner, Ben Cohen, held a protest in London, calling on Unilever to “Free Ben & Jerry’s” to protect the company’s social principles. However, Cohen has not yet left the company.
