Dispute with corporate mother
Ben & Jerry’s in the future without Jerry
When the founders sold their ice brand Ben & Jerry’s to the Unilever Group, they secured the right to political activism. Now one of the two looks over – and goes.
The ice brand Ben & Jerry’s loses one of its co -founders after almost half a century. Jerry Greenfield announced his withdrawal – with the accusation that the owner group Unilever had prevented political activities.
Greenfield and the second co -founder Ben Cohen had the right to stand up for their values when selling to the food giants in 2000. Both stayed in the company – even if they no longer steered the business.
“Silent”
Greenfield wrote under the roof of Unilever “for peace, justice and human rights” under the roof of Unilever. Now Ben & Jerry’s “has been silenced” for fear of terrifying the powerful. Under these circumstances, he could no longer stay in the company. Most recently, there had been a dispute with Unilever about the dismissal of Ben & Jerry’s boss, David Stever.
The parent company rejected the allegations. One disagreement and had a “constructive conversation” with both founders, it said in a statement at the “Wall Street Journal”. Unilever wants to outsource his ice cream business – including Ben & Jerry’s – to an independent company. Cohen and Greenfield recently expressed interest to buy their brand back, but Unilever emphasized that she was not for sale.
dpa
Source: Stern
