Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield is leaving the beloved ice cream brand amid a years-long dispute with its parent company Unilever, according to an open-letter posted Tuesday night by his fellow business partner and longtime friend, Ben Cohen.
“It’s with a broken heart that I’ve decided I can no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee of Ben & Jerry’s,” Greenfield wrote. “I am resigning from the company Ben and I started back in 1978. This is one of the hardest and most painful decisions I’ve ever made.”
“This isn’t because I’ve lost my love for the people at Ben & Jerry’s,” he continued. “Quite the opposite. The folks who show up every day in our factories, scoop shops, and offices are some of the most passionate, caring, and values-driven people you’ll ever meet. They are the soul of Ben & Jerry’s.”
In 2000, Cohen and Greenfield sold their Vermont-based ice cream company to Unilever, which guaranteed Ben & Jerry’s “independence to pursue (their) values,” Greenfield said in his letter. But in recent years, tensions between the company and Unilever have escalated, especially in the wake of President Donald Trump’s re-election and Israel’s ongoing military operation in Gaza. In March, Ben & Jerry’s accused Unilever of unlawfully ousting its then-CEO David Stever over his support of the brand’s political activism. The company alleged that Unilever “failed to recognize and respect … Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission and Brand Integrity, including threatening Ben & Jerry’s personnel should the company speak regarding issues which Unilever prefers to censor,” according to a lawsuit first filed in Nov. 2024.
“For more than 20 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 wrote. “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.”
“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,” Greenfield added. “And it’s happening at a time when our country’s current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights of immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ community.”
“It was always about more than just ice cream; it was a way to spread love and invite others into the fight for equity, justice and a better world.”
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
