Ben & Jerry’s: Co -founder leaves the company in a dispute

In the dispute with the British parent company Unilever and in the run-up to the planned IPO of the ice division, Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield left the company.

The company based in Vermont has lost its independence since Unilever had restricted his social engagement, it was said in an open letter from Greenfield, which his partner Ben Cohen shared on the social media platform X on Wednesday.

Greenfield writes that he could “no longer work for a clear conscience” for a company that was silent “to silence”. Despite an agreement, this was done despite an agreement that should protect the social mission of the brand. “This independence was not least due to the unique merger agreement that Ben and I negotiated with Unilever,” it said.

A spokesman for Unilever said that Greenfield’s perspective was not agreed. The group tried to integrate both co -founders into a constructive conversation about how Ben & Jerry’s positioned position could be strengthened in the world.

The background is a conflict that has been smoldering for years about the decided political attitude of the US ice cream brand known for its sometimes unusual varieties. The “Chubby Hubby” manufacturer had announced in 2021 to hire the sale in the West Bank occupied by Israel. Since then, the brand has sued its parent company because of alleged attempts to silence them. In addition, she described the Gaza conflict as a “genocide”, an attitude rare for a large US company.

Ben Cohen was arrested in May in a protest against the Gaza War in the US Congress. The 74-year-old had interrupted and called a meeting with others with Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: “The congress pays for bombs to kill children in Gaza”, as can be seen and heard on a video published by the “New York Times”. Cohen and Greenfield are Jews and, according to the “New York Times”, had already criticized Israel’s politics several times.

Last week Cohen said that, given the tensions with Unilever, the brand tried to arrange a sale to investors at a market value between $ 1.5 and $ 2.5 billion. However, the proposal was rejected.

The IPO of the Unilever ice division is part of the strategy of CEO Fernando Fernandez to realign the consumer goods giants. The new society is to be operated under the name Magnum Ice Cream Company and brought to the stock exchange in mid -November.