The founders of Ben & Jerry’s are pushing parent company Unilever to allow the popular brand to once again operate independently and exclude it from the CPG giant's upcoming spinoff of its ice cream business in November.
In an open letter to The Magnum Ice Cream Company, the ice cream operation Unilever is divesting, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield wrote they agreed to sell their Vermont-based ice cream brand in 2000 with the understanding that the Cherry Garcia maker would have the freedom to pursue its progressive social mission.
Instead, the founders say Unilever has broken that promise and has “silenced” the brand, particularly when it speaks out on social justice and war.
“We no longer believe Ben & Jerry’s can thrive as part of a conglomerate that fails to support its founding mission, and which is reducing the company’s value by undercutting one of the critical reasons why customers love and support the brand,” the cofounders wrote. “We urge the board to allow Ben & Jerry’s to operate once again as an independently owned company, supported by socially-aligned investors and free to honor its mission without compromise.”
Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s have been mired in a multi-year battle that has pitted the top-selling ice cream brand against the London-based food and personal care products giant. Ben & Jerry's claims Unilever demanded it stop publicly criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump and tried to block it from making public statements advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“That is not the Ben & Jerry’s that we founded, or the one that we envisioned when we agreed to join Unilever 25 years ago,” Cohen and Greenfield said.
Ben & Jerry’s recently criticized Unilever for firing the ice cream brand’s CEO, saying the move was due to his support of its social mission rather than his job performance. The brand also claimed it wasn’t allowed to interview candidates for the open role and was excluded from the appointment process. Unilever denied the allegations and said it acted properly.
In a statement, a Magnum Ice Cream spokesperson said Ben and Jerry’s is “a proud part” of the company and will remain within the portfolio, which also includes Klondike, Breyers and Talenti.
“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,” the Magnum spokesperson added.
Ben & Jerry’s was the leading ice cream brand in the U.S., with $951 million in sales during 2023, according to data from Statista. Mintel estimated the U.S. ice cream market is valued at more than $19 billion.
In a separate statement, Magnum Ice Cream forecast annual organic sales growth of 3% to 5% following the split. It plans to launch a cost-cutting initiative to boost its profitability, with the largest savings coming from a transformation of its supply chain. Magnum Ice Cream, which generated $9.3 billion in revenue last year, is set to become the largest ice cream company in the world.
