Ben & Jerry's Co-Founder, Jerry, of the Eismarke division, departs from the company - Jerry von Eismarke departs from Ben & Jerry's corporation, his voice stifled
In a surprising turn of events, Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of the iconic ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's, announced his departure from the company on Tuesday evening. This decision comes amidst a dispute with Unilever, the multinational corporation that purchased Ben & Jerry's subsidiary Magnum Ice Cream Company in 2000.
The dispute revolves around the sale of ice cream in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. For years, Ben Cohen, a long-time critic of Israeli policy, has been advocating for Ben & Jerry's to stop selling its products in these areas. However, Unilever has not agreed with this view.
In a recent Twitter post, Jerry accused Unilever of silencing Ben & Jerry's, a claim that Unilever denies. The company has attempted to have a constructive conversation with both founders of Ben & Jerry's, but it seems these discussions have not been fruitful.
Jerry's departure is due, in part, to his belief that Unilever's fear of upsetting the U.S. government is leading to the silencing of Ben & Jerry's political and social mission. He finds it deeply disappointing that the independence of Ben & Jerry's, the basis for their sale to Unilever, is no longer present.
This dispute is a recent development, beyond the initial sale in 2000. Jerry was not kept on as a partner in Ben & Jerry's after the sale; both founders remained involved for some time but eventually Greenfield left the company due to disputes with Unilever over political and social mission issues. No new partner replaced him in Ben & Jerry's after the sale.
Ben & Jerry's, founded in 1978 by childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, has been a vocal advocate for social justice issues throughout its history. This includes Cohen signing a letter last year with prominent Jews criticizing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
In 2022, Ben & Jerry's demanded, in vain, that the sale of ice cream in Israeli settlements in the West Bank be stopped. Unilever has already announced the sale of its ice cream division, but the details of the sale are yet to be disclosed.
It's important to note that the dispute between Ben & Jerry's and Unilever is not directly related to the U.S. government's actions against citizen, voting, immigrant, women's, or LGBTQ rights. The U.S. government's current actions in these areas are a separate issue from the ongoing conflict between Ben & Jerry's and Unilever.
As this story unfolds, it serves as a reminder of the complexities of corporate social responsibility and the importance of staying true to one's values, even in the face of adversity.
