The Jerry of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream brand has resigned, saying that the company is no longer allowed to express the progressive values it was founded on.
In a post shared on Instagram by cofounder Ben Cohen, Jerry Greenfield, 74, said it was one of the “hardest and most painful decisions” he has ever made.
In the post, Greenfield called out Unilever, the London-based company that purchased Ben & Jerry’s for $326 million 25 years ago in a carefully crafted deal that was intended to preserve the company’s “social mission, brand integrity and product quality.”
The statement also criticized the Trump administration, saying it is “attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ community.”
Greenfield also wrote, “Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power.”
Cohen and Greenfield, who opened their first shop in Burlington, Vermont, in 1978, have been at odds with Unilever in recent years and have been calling for the brand’s independence.
On social media, Cohen has been promoting the hashtag #Freebenandjerrys and sending supporters to a website by the same name.
The website says “Ben & Jerry’s cannot thrive under an organization that stifles its values and that buckles under political pressure. An independent Ben & Jerry’s will allow it to go back to its roots as a company driven by values, authenticity, and a belief that business has to be about more than just profitability.”
A 2022 lawsuit, in which Ben & Jerry’s accused the company of bypassing its board, ended in a settlement.
But Ben & Jerry’s sued Unilever again in 2024, saying former CEO David Stever had been ousted for political reasons and that its social media posts were being censored. That case is still ongoing.
Ben & Jerry’s, which touts “our progressive values” on its website, is among several brands, including Breyers, Yasso and Talenti, that Unilever is spinning off into a different company, which will be called The Magnum Ice Cream Company.
Magnum responded to Greenfield’s announcement by releasing a statement in which the company thanked him “for his service and support over many decades” while pushing back on his claims.
“We disagree with his perspective and have sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position in the world,” the statement said, per The New York Times.