BEN AND JERRY CO-FOUNDER LEAVES AMID OUTRAGE OVER UNILEVER’S ‘SILENCING’ TACTICS

Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s, has quit the company after 47 years, saying he could no longer stand by as the parent company Unilever undermined the brand’s voice.

He claims Unilever has silenced the social mission that was at the heart of Ben and Jerry’s from the beginning.

Greenfield says that when he and Ben Cohen sold the brand to Unilever in 2000, they made a special merger agreement. That deal was meant to give Ben and Jerry’s the independence to speak up about justice, equity, human rights, and real world issues.

He says that independence is gone. According to Greenfield, Ben and Jerry’s is no longer free to stand up as it once did. He wrote he did not want to remain “in good conscience” part of a company that had been “silenced” by Unilever.

Greenfield described the decision as one of the hardest and most painful of his life. He expressed heartbreak, anger, and disappointment. He said he believed that values and pursuing justice were more important than profits or brand alone. But he says Unilever’s actions meant those values were betrayed.

The feud has been brewing for years. In 2021, Ben and Jerry’s announced it would stop sales in Israeli-occupied West Bank territories, a decision that triggered tension with Unilever.

Ben and Jerry’s also filed a lawsuit accusing Unilever of suppressing its ability to speak out on political and human rights issues, including social media posts and public statements about Gaza. Greenfield says Unilever has removed or blocked activism, sidelined the brand’s voice for fear of upsetting powerful actors.

Unilever responded by saying it disagrees with Greenfield’s views. It says it remains committed to Ben and Jerry’s values and has tried to engage both co-founders in conversations about how these values can continue to shape the company.

Greenfield and Cohen have also pushed for Ben and Jerry’s to be freed from Unilever’s control so it can again be independent. They suggested that the brand should be owned by “values-aligned investors.”

This story is trending because it hits at the heart of a bigger issue: can a brand built on activism keep its soul when it’s owned by a global giant? Fans, media, and brand watchers are reacting strongly. They see this as more than an ice cream business, it’s about ethics, integrity, and whether companies can truly stay true to their values.

Greenfield leaving Ben and Jerry’s is a shock to many. It is a powerful moment that forces everyone to ask whether Unilever’s “silencing” of the brand is something that can be fixed, or whether the legacy of Ben and Jerry’s is now only a memory.

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