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| Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield quits accusing Unilever of silencing social mission | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| After nearly 50 years, Greenfield says he cannot ‘in good conscience’ continue; Unilever has previously rejected similar claims by Ben & Jerry’s social mission board | |
| Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield has stepped away from the ice-cream brand after nearly 50 years, according to a post by the other founder, Ben Cohen. | Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield has stepped away from the ice-cream brand after nearly 50 years, according to a post by the other founder, Ben Cohen. |
| Cohen’s post shared what he said was a letter from Greenfield in which he called it one of the “hardest and most painful decisions” he had ever made. | Cohen’s post shared what he said was a letter from Greenfield in which he called it one of the “hardest and most painful decisions” he had ever made. |
| Greenfield accused Unilever of silencing the company, saying its independence to speak up on global issues was “gone”. | |
| “If the company couldn’t stand up for the things we believed, then it wasn’t worth being a company at all,” Greenfield said. | “If the company couldn’t stand up for the things we believed, then it wasn’t worth being a company at all,” Greenfield said. |
| The decision came despite a merger agreement meant to safeguard the brand’s social mission, Greenfield added. | The decision came despite a merger agreement meant to safeguard the brand’s social mission, Greenfield added. |
| “That independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement” that he and Cohen had negotiated with Unilever, Greenfield wrote. | “That independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement” that he and Cohen had negotiated with Unilever, Greenfield wrote. |
| The Magnum Ice Cream Company, a new division of Unilever that is set to be separately listed in November, said 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. | |
| Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. | Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. |
| Last week, Cohen said that amid tension with Unilever, the brand had attempted to engineer a sale to investors at a fair market value of $1.5bn-$2.5bn but the proposal was rejected. | Last week, Cohen said that amid tension with Unilever, the brand had attempted to engineer a sale to investors at a fair market value of $1.5bn-$2.5bn but the proposal was rejected. |
| Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s have been at odds since at least 2021 when the ice-cream maker said it would stop selling in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Ben & Jerry’s has sued its owner over alleged attempts to silence it and called the conflict in Gaza “genocide”. | Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s have been at odds since at least 2021 when the ice-cream maker said it would stop selling in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Ben & Jerry’s has sued its owner over alleged attempts to silence it and called the conflict in Gaza “genocide”. |
| At the time a Unilever spokesperson said: “Our heart goes out to all victims of the tragic events in the Middle East. We reject the claims made by B&J’s social mission board, and we will defend our case very strongly. We would not comment further on this legal matter.” | |
| With Reuters | With Reuters |