Updated Sep 17, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Ben & Jerry's co-founder resigns, says parent company "silenced" activism

Avery Lotz

Two older men wearing glasses, one of whom is wearing a hat that reads "BERNIE," smile in a crowd of people. — Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, co-founders of Ben and Jerry's, join about 20 people sitting in front of the White House northwest gate as part of a climate change protest Nov. 8, 2019. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Jerry Greenfield, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry's, announced he is stepping down from the beloved ice cream brand after 47 years, accusing parent company Unilever of discouraging his activism.

Why it matters: The Vermont-based brand and its founders are known for their involvement in social justice causes, but now Greenfield says they are being muzzled.

Driving the news: Greenfield, in a letter shared on social media by co-founder Ben Cohen, said that "independence to pursue our values" was what made the business "more than just an ice cream company."

"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."
Cohen — in an X post with the hashtag, #FreeBenAndJerrys — wrote that Greenfield's "legacy deserves to be true to our values, not silenced by @MagnumGlobal."

The other side: A spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company, Unilever's ice cream spinoff, said the company was grateful to Greenfield for his role in co-founding "an amazing ice cream company" but that it disagreed with his perspective.

The spokesperson said the company has "sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry's powerful values-based position in the world."

Catch up quick: Greenfield said independence was "guaranteed" when the pair sold Ben & Jerry's to Unilever in 2000 for $326 million.

Earlier this month, Ben & Jerry's lobbied for "an independent Ben and Jerry's," noting that its founders, independent board and employees do not support the trajectory the brand has been set on.

Friction point: The brand's relationship with its parent company has been rocky at times.

Last year, Unilever announced it would spin off its ice cream unit, which also included brands like Wall's and Magnum. Earlier this month, the namesake pair wrote in a letter that they felt the "safeguards Unilever promised in the acquisition agreement are being undermined."

The big picture: Ben & Jerry's hasn't shied away from taking political stands in the past.

In 2021, it announced it would stop selling its ice cream in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, saying "it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry's ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)."
Eventually, under legal and diplomatic pressure, Unilever sold Ben & Jerry's business interests in Israel to the local company that had the license to sell its ice cream.

Go deeper: Axios Harris Poll 100: Prices over politics

Editor's note: This story was updated with a statement from a Magnum Ice Cream Company spokesperson.

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Ben & Jerry's co-founder resigns, says parent company "silenced" activism

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