Even after selling the company to Unilever for $326 million a quarter-century ago, Cohen and Greenfield have made sure their ice cream brand stayed true to its roots. They did so by inking an unusual deal with the British conglomerate to have Ben & Jerry’s social mission and values forever enshrined in its governance structure.
At any other company, that sentiment can feel performative. It’s not at Ben & Jerry’s, where the website highlights “activism,” alongside tabs for “ice cream flavors” and “where to buy.”
Before it was fashionable, Cohen and Greenfield believed in the “double bottom line.” That it was possible to make money and do good. They did so not just by writing checks — a portion of Ben & Jerry’s profits have long gone to promoting peace, saving the rainforest, and other causes — but also speaking up as a company.
Now Unilever may be reneging on its commitment to Cohen and Greenfield, as it prepares to spin off its ice cream business, of which Ben & Jerry’s is but one part.
Cohen and Greenfield will have none of that. The 74-year-old hippies know how to wage a protest and ignite a movement. They lit up social media on Wednesday, sharing a message from Greenfield about why he resigned from Ben & Jerry’s, along with the hashtag #FreeBenAndJerrys.
Expect the septuagenarian activists to go viral again on Thursday when they drop a video about why they’re upset with Unilever and what they’re fighting for. They have a website, freebenandjerrys.com, calling on investors and board members to help them decouple from their new parent, Magnum Ice Cream Company.
“I can no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee of Ben & Jerry’s,” Greenfield wrote. “Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power.”
Greenfield noted how Unilever had long honored their agreement for Ben & Jerry’s to have “independence” and allow the company to stand up and speak out on social issues. Not anymore.
“It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone,” Greenfield wrote.
Tensions with Unilever began in 2021 when the independent board of Ben & Jerry’s sued the British consumer product giant to block a deal renewing the license of an Israeli entrepreneur who sold Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israeli-occupied West Bank. Ben & Jerry’s, citing human rights concerns, opposes Israeli settlements there. The two sides settled, allowing the Israeli entrepreneur to keep the license.
But the relationship continued to sour, and in March, the independent board again sued Unilever, alleging it fired then-Ben & Jerry’s chief executive David Stever, over the firm’s social and political activism from taking positions on Trump’s anti-DEI measures to criticizing Israel’s war in Gaza.
Greenfield had remained on Ben & Jerry’s payroll, as a brand ambassador, but on Wednesday he declared he could no longer remain in that role.
“Love, equity, justice — they’re part of who Ben and I are, and they’ve always been the true foundation of Ben & Jerry’s,” Greenfield wrote in his resignation letter. “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.”
There’s still a chance Ben and Jerry can have their ice cream, and their values too. The pair have offered to buy the company back from Unilever, instead of having it rolled up into Magnum.
In a statement, Magnum thanked Greenfield for his service but did not seem like it wanted to unload an iconic ice cream brand with cheeky flavors including Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey.
“We will be forever grateful to Jerry for his role in co-founding such an amazing ice cream company,” the statement read. “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.”
After all these years, Cohen and Greenfield continue to fight the good fight. It would be easy for them to take all the money they’ve made selling ice cream and retire quietly. Instead they’re still standing up for their values.
In an era when companies and institutions are eager to capitulate, we can learn a lot from these two aging hippies.
Shirley Leung is a Business columnist. She can be reached at [email protected].
