Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Jerry Greenfield Quits Amid Social Activism Dispute

Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s, has stepped down after nearly five decades, citing disagreements with parent company Unilever over the brand’s social mission.

In a letter shared by fellow co-founder Ben Cohen, Greenfield said the company had “lost its independence” after Unilever curtailed its activism. He called the decision to leave “one of the hardest and most painful” of his life but said he could no longer work for a business he believed had been “silenced.”

The dispute traces back to 2021, when Ben & Jerry’s announced it would stop sales in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Unilever, which acquired the brand 25 years ago under a deal meant to protect its social values, later moved to limit the company’s political involvement.

A spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company, which is being spun off from Unilever, thanked Greenfield but rejected his view, saying it had engaged both founders on “how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s values-based position.”

Ben & Jerry’s has a long history of activism, from supporting LGBTQ+ rights to climate change campaigns. But tensions with Unilever have intensified in recent years. In March, CEO David Stever was removed, prompting a legal case accusing Unilever of breaching its merger agreement. The brand also alleged Unilever ordered it to stop criticising US President Donald Trump.

Greenfield’s departure follows months of unrest. His co-founder Cohen was arrested in May during a US Senate protest against military aid to Israel and humanitarian conditions in Gaza.