The co-founders of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream brand are demanding the brand is given its independence back amid a long-running row with its current UK owner.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield have written an open letter demanding that it be “released” from its parent firm.
Unilever bought Ben & Jerry’s in 2000 but is set to spin off all its ice cream brands under The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) name in a deal set to be fully completed before the end of the year.
The consumer goods firm has never enjoyed an easy relationship with Ben & Jerry’s – a brand known for its activism on many political and social issues.
Money latest: My parents’ row with P&O Cruises was resolved by audio recording
As part of the original merger deal, an independent board was set up to protect the ice cream brand’s mission.
But a series of disputes have followed.
Money blog: Deodorant brand tells customers to stop using certain products after rashes reported
Murdoch succession row resolved but empire’s future success far from certain
Water firms Anglian and South West fined combined £87m for sewage failures
The most high-profile spat came in 2021 when the US brand took the decision not to sell ice cream in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories on the grounds that sales would be “inconsistent” with its values.
Unilever responded by selling the business to its licensee in Israel.
The independent board is currently locked in a legal dispute with Unilever, claiming in March that its then-chief executive David Stever was improperly sacked.
For its part, Unilever has always argued that it “reserved primary responsibility for financial and operational decisions” as owners of Ben & Jerry’s.
In another example of the frostiness between them, an ice cream flavour launched in support of Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris went down badly in London.
Ben & Jerry’s claimed Unilever had demanded it stop public criticism of Donald Trump.
Ben Cohen himself was arrested earlier this year over a protest in support of Gaza during a US Senate hearing.
He and Mr Greenfield intervened in the ownership row as TMICC briefed investors on their plans at a so-called capital markets day. They say the independent board and many consumers and employees “no longer support the trajectory on which it is set”.
Mr Cohen, who is attending the event to protest, said: “Ben & Jerry’s was founded on a simple but radical premise: that our business could thrive and make outstanding products whilst standing up for progressive values.
“We fought to ensure our social justice mission was protected by Unilever when the company was acquired, but over the past several years, this has been eroded, and the company’s voice has been muted.
“We won’t be silent anymore. Authenticity has always been at the very heart of what we do, and stripping this away risks destroying the very value of Ben & Jerry’s. We urge the board and potential investors to rethink the inclusion of Ben & Jerry’s in Magnum’s future makeup and establish a Free Ben & Jerry’s.”
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
The new ice cream division, which will also comprise other brands such as Wall’s, is based in the Netherlands and will have a primary stock market listing in Amsterdam.
A spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company told Sky News: “Ben & Jerry’s is a proud part of The Magnum Ice Cream Company and is not for sale.
“We remain committed to Ben & Jerry’s unique three-part mission – product, economic and social – and look forward to building on its success as an iconic, much-loved business.”
Unilever has also been contacted for comment.
