Ben & Jerry’s co-founder says brand has been ‘silenced’ as he quits after 47 years

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield has quit after nearly half a century and claimed the company’s social activism has been “silenced”.

Founded by Greenfield and Ben Cohen in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont, Ben & Jerry’s is an ice cream brand famous for its flavours like Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey. The firm has long advocated for social issues, including LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, refugee rights, climate activism, fair trade and supporting Palestine.

In a letter penned by Greenfield and shared on social media by Cohen, the co-founder said stepping back from the company was one of the “hardest and most painful decisions” he had made but “can no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee of Ben & Jerry’s”.

Greenfield wrote that “what allowed the company to be more than just an ice cream company” was the “independence to pursue our values” – which was guaranteed in an agreement with Unilever when the conglomerate purchased the company in 2000 for $326 million.

“For more than twenty years under their ownership, Ben & Jerry’s stood up and spoke out in support of peace, justice, and human rights, not as abstract concepts, but in relation to real events happening in our world,” Greenfield said.

“That independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement Ben and I negotiated with Unilever, one that enshrined our social mission and values in the company’s governance structure in perpetuity.

“It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone.”

After 47 years, Jerry has made the difficult decision to step down from the company we built together. I’m sharing his words as he resigns from Ben & Jerry’s. His legacy deserves to be true to our values, not silenced by @MagnumGlobal #FreeBenAndJerrys pic.twitter.com/EZXGRjs76a

— Ben Cohen (@YoBenCohen) September 17, 2025

Greenfield continued that this is 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”.

“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,” he said.

“It’s easy to stand up and speak out when there’s nothing at risk. The real test of values is when times are challenging and you have something to lose.”

Greenfield added the foundation of Ben & Jerry’s is “love, equity, justice”, adding: “From the very beginning, Ben and I believed that our values and the pursuit of justice were more important than the company itself. If the company couldn’t stand up for the things we believed, then it wasn’t worth being a company at all.”

The co-founder concluded that if this is no longer possible at Ben & Jerry’s he “can no longer remain part” of the firm.

“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,” he said.

In response to Greenfield’s resignation, a spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company – a new division of Unilever which is expected to be separately listed later this year – said, as quoted by the BBC: “We disagree with his perspective and have sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position in the world.”

PinkNews has contacted Unilever for comment.

Greenfield’s resignation comes after a long running row with Unilever over its social mission, after Ben & Jerry’s vowed to stop selling its products in the occupied West Bank.

In 2021, the firm launched legal action against Unilever and claimed the parent company was blocking it from issuing public statements supporting Palestinian refugees and calling for a ceasefire.

Legal documents at the time said Unilever was refusing to “respect and acknowledge the Ben & Jerry’s independent board’s primary responsibility over Ben & Jerry’s social mission” as per its agreement, adding: “Ben & Jerry’s has on four occasions attempted to publicly speak out in support of peace and human rights.”

At the time a spokesperson for Unilever 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.”