Jerry Greenfield, one of two founders of the iconic progressive ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s, has stepped down citing political pressure from the brand’s parent company, Unilever.
The Ben & Jerry’s brand has clashed with Unilever over Israel in recent years, and Greenfield’s co-founder Ben Cohen has been a vocal critic of Israel’s war in Gaza. But Greenfield’s resignation letter, which Cohen posted to social media, does not mention Israel issues at all. Instead, it cites domestic political issues on which Greenfield said Ben & Jerry’s had been “silenced.”
In the letter, Greenfield writes that a guarantee of political independence was the bedrock of his agreement to sell to Unilever two decades ago.
“It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence … is gone,” he wrote. “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.”
He said he felt he had no choice but to step aside. “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,” Greenfield wrote. He later added, “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.”
The surprise announcement follows years of tension between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever, which started in 2021 when the company board announced that they no longer wanted to sell ice cream in “occupied Palestinian territory.” The move — which Cohen and Greenfield endorsed in a New York Times op-ed in which they noted that they were “Jewish supporters of Israel” — touched off a years-long legal battle that ended with its Israeli brand splitting off and being sold to a different entity that continued to do business in the West Bank.
Greenfield has since been quiet on Israel issues compared to Cohen and the company itself. In March, Unilever removed the company’s CEO (who was neither Ben nor Jerry) over what both parties agreed was pro-Palestinian activity — including planned donations to the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace and social media posts calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of pro-Palestinian protest leader Mahmoud Khalil.
In May, the Ben & Jerry’s board called Israel’s military campaign in Gaza a “genocide.” In July, Unilever cut off funding to the company’s charitable foundation. Unilever has also moved ahead with plans to spin off the brand into a separate venture, a move Cohen has publicly attempted to head off.
Unilever also reportedly took issue with planned company stances opposing President Donald Trump and celebrating Black History Month.
The spun-off venture, Magnum Ice Cream Company, said in a statement on Greenfield’s resignation that it “disagrees with Greenfield’s perspective and 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.”
Cohen and Greenfield’s role at Ben & Jerry’s had become largely ceremonial since the Unilever sale, though they still attended numerous meetings and store openings and functioned as jovial mascots. They have also served as company figureheads on political matters.
In recent months, prior to Greenfield’s resignation, Cohen was arrested on Capitol Hill while demonstrating against the Gaza war and sat down for a solo interview with Tucker Carlson, another vocal opponent of the war. A spokesperson for Cohen told the Wall Street Journal that he would remain in his role at Ben & Jerry’s.
For the first time, Cohen will occupy that role without his business partner of 48 years.
“From the very beginning, Ben and I believed that our values and the pursuit of justice were more important than the company itself,” Greenfield wrote. “If the company couldn’t stand up for the things we believed, then it wasn’t worth being a company at all.”
