Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield has announced he is leaving the ice cream company after 47 years, citing growing tensions with parent company Unilever over its handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Greenfield shared his decision in an open letter posted by his longtime business partner Ben Cohen on X. He called it one of the “hardest and most painful decisions” of his life.
“This isn’t because I’ve lost my love for the people at Ben & Jerry’s. Quite the opposite,” Greenfield wrote. He added that when Unilever bought the company more than two decades ago, it promised to allow the brand independence to pursue its values.
Greenfield said he could no longer remain with a company that had been “silenced” by Unilever. He also criticized the current administration, accusing it of undermining civil rights, voting rights, immigration rights, women’s rights, and LGBTQ rights.
The tension between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever first erupted in 2021, when the ice cream maker announced it would stop selling its products in the West Bank.
Founded in Vermont in 1978, Ben & Jerry’s became known not only for its ice cream but also for its outspoken social activism. Greenfield wrote that the mission 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.”
Unilever responded in a statement thanking Greenfield for his role in founding the company but pushing back on his criticisms. “We disagree with his perspective and have sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s values-based position in the world,” a spokesperson said.
The company said it remains committed to Ben & Jerry’s “three-part mission – product, economic and social” and pledged to continue building on its legacy of “peace, love, and ice cream.”