SOUTH BURLINGTON: Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, has officially stepped down from the iconic ice cream company, citing deep frustration over what he says is the silencing of its social activism by parent company Unilever.
The decision, revealed in a letter shared on social media by his longtime business partner Ben Cohen, marks a dramatic chapter in a years-long dispute between the founders and Unilever over the direction of the brand’s outspoken social values.
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Greenfield described his departure as “one of the hardest and most painful decisions” of his life, stating that he could no longer “in good conscience” remain at a company that he believes has been stripped of its voice on social issues.
“For decades, Ben & Jerry’s stood for more than just ice cream – it stood for justice,” he wrote. “But that mission has been systematically undermined.”
LONGSTANDING TENSIONS WITH UNILEVER
The fallout traces back to a 2021 decision by Ben & Jerry’s to halt sales in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem – a move that sparked international headlines and backlash. Since then, tensions between the brand’s original founders and Unilever have grown steadily.
Greenfield’s resignation comes months after Ben & Jerry’s filed a lawsuit in a US court, accusing Unilever of breaching their original merger agreement, which had promised to preserve the company’s independent “social mission.”
In March 2025, Unilever removed Ben & Jerry’s CEO David Stever, further escalating internal conflicts. That move reportedly came shortly after the brand resisted pressure to stop publicly criticizing President Donald Trump.
A spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company, the Unilever division that now oversees Ben & Jerry’s and is being spun off, acknowledged Greenfield’s departure but pushed back on his claims.
“We’re grateful to Jerry for his many contributions,” the spokesperson said. “However, we respectfully disagree with his perspective and have been working to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation about how Ben & Jerry’s can continue its values-based leadership.”
FOUNDERS REMAIN POLITICALLY ACTIVE
Both Greenfield and Cohen have remained active in social justice movements even after stepping back from day-to-day operations. Just four months ago, Cohen was arrested during a protest in the US. Senate over American military aid to Israel and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
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He and several other activists were charged following disruptions at a hearing involving Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Ben & Jerry’s, founded in 1978 in Vermont, has long blended activism with business, championing causes from LGBTQ+ rights to racial justice and climate action.