Ben & Jerry's Co-Founder Alleges Unilever Blocked Pro-Palestinian Ice Cream Product
One of the co-founders behind the well-known ice cream brand Ben and Jerry's has stated that corporate owner Unilever blocked the launch of a new pro-Palestinian frozen dessert product.
The entrepreneur, who established the business with Jerry Greenfield, revealed how he plans to personally create this new product within an individual series highlighting causes the company has been barred from speaking out about.
Ongoing Conflict Involving Founders versus Parent Company
This latest development escalates the continuing disagreement between the internationally recognized dessert company and its corporate parent, the British packaged goods corporation which acquired Ben & Jerry's since 2000.
Both founders have asserted how the parent company and their ice cream division Magnum improperly prevented their company from "fulfilling its ethical commitments".
The Fruit Sorbet becoming a Symbol of Support
Mr. Cohen announced via an Instagram video that he is creating a new watermelon-based frozen dessert, asking for public suggestions regarding naming options and potential ingredients.
“I'm doing what they couldn't,” the founder stated in a cooking set. “I'm making a watermelon-based ice cream that calls for lasting ceasefire in Palestine while demanding repairing the damage that occurred in the region.”
The watermelon has emerged as an emblem of solidarity with Palestinians because of its colors, that mirror the colors in Palestine's national banner – the distinctive four-color pattern.
Previous Activism and Recent Developments
Several years ago, the ice cream company ceased sales of their merchandise in territories occupied by Israel, leading to Unilever transferring their Israel business over to an Israeli distributor, thereby permitting continued sales in the occupied West Bank.
The new dessert series is being created through Mr. Cohen's personal brand, the activist dessert company that originally established several years back to support ex- US presidential candidate Senator Sanders with the flavor "Bernie's Back".
Leadership Changes plus Future Intentions
The founder indicated that he plans to develop additional frozen dessert varieties that address concerns which Ben & Jerry's was silenced from addressing publicly due to corporate restrictions.
The announcement comes after partner Jerry Greenfield resigned his position at Ben & Jerry's in September, after many years with the organization, citing worries that its independence had been compromised following corporate moves to curb their advocacy work.
At that time, Ben Cohen remarked how "Jerry has a really big heart and this conflict with Unilever was breaking it."
"My heart compels me to continue to work inside the company to advocate for corporate autonomy ensuring that it can fulfill its ethical purpose, the principles that it was founded on and has maintained for decades," he explained to media outlets.
- Corporate owner limitations regarding political advocacy
- Personal flavor creation from company founders
- Watermelon flavor serving as social statement
- Continuing disagreements among corporate ownership and ethical values