Jerry of Ben & Jerry’s Announces Resignation Over Values Dispute With Parent Company

Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, has announced his resignation from the socially-minded ice cream company, accusing parent company Unilever of silencing their activism.

The announcement was posted to social media on Wednesday morning by business partner of 47 years, Ben Cohen, who said Greenfield’s “legacy deserves to be true to our values, not silenced”.

Ben & Jerry’s was purchased by Unilever in 2003, with both men remaining as co-founders, allowing the brand to retain some of its independence. However, their relationship had been facing difficulties in recent years, coming to a head when Ben & Jerry’s announced they would no longer be selling in Israeli settlements in 2021.

Then in 2024, Ben & Jerry’s sued Unilever, claiming they had improperly removed former CEO David Stever, and censored social media posts about Palestine and Black History Month.

“For more than 20 years under [Unilever’s] 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,” Greenfield wrote.

“It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that [our] independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone. And it’s happening at a time when our country’s current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ community,” Greenfield wrote.

After 47 years, Jerry has made the difficult decision to step down from the company we built together. I’m sharing his words as he resigns from Ben & Jerry’s. His legacy deserves to be true to our values, not silenced by @MagnumGlobal #FreeBenAndJerrys pic.twitter.com/EZXGRjs76a

— Ben Cohen (@YoBenCohen) September 17, 2025

“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. 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.”

Ice cream conglomerate claims it attempted “constructive conversation” with founders

Unilever has denied Greenfield and Cohen’s allegations in court, with Ben & Jerry’s attorney Shahmeer Halepota telling Reuters that the conglomerate was engaged in a “thinly-veiled attempt to save face in the context of its threats, professional reprisals, and ban on criticizing the Trump administration’s policies.”

In a statement to the Associated Press, Unilever- which is currently in the process of creating a spin-off company for its ice cream brands,  “The Magnum Ice Cream Company”– said they disagreed with Greenfield’s perspective.

“[We] sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position in the world,” a spokesperson said.

Ben & Jerry’s have been vocal about their investment in LGBTQIA+ rights. During the marriage equality postal vote, they banned same-flavour scoops in their shops, and installed post boxes to encourage customers to write a postcard to their MP in support of marriage equality.

“It was always about more than just ice cream; it was a way to spread love and invite others into the fight for equity, justice and a better world,” Greenfield concluded in his statement.

“If I can’t carry those values forward inside the company today, then I will carry them forward outside, with all the love and conviction I can.”