Ben & Jerry's Founding Partner Claims Parent Company Blocked Pro-Palestinian Ice Cream Flavor

Ice cream activism illustration
Activist Founders promoting political issues via dessert products

The original creators behind the famous frozen dessert company Ben and Jerry's has stated how parent company the multinational conglomerate stopped the introduction for an innovative Palestine-themed ice cream flavor.

The entrepreneur, who established the business alongside Jerry Greenfield, revealed that he plans to personally create the controversial product as part of an individual series highlighting issues Ben & Jerry's was prevented from speaking out about.

Longstanding Dispute Involving Creators and Parent Company

The recent announcement intensifies the continuing disagreement between the internationally recognized ice cream maker and its corporate parent, the UK-based consumer goods giant that acquired Ben & Jerry's for over two decades.

Both founders maintain that Unilever and their ice cream division Magnum improperly prevented their company against "fulfilling its ethical commitments".

The Fruit Sorbet as an Emblem for Solidarity

The entrepreneur announced through social media that he is creating a new watermelon-flavored frozen dessert, requesting public suggestions for naming options plus potential ingredients.

“I'm accomplishing what they were prevented from doing,” Mr. Cohen commented from his kitchen. “I'm making a watermelon-based frozen dessert that advocates for permanent peace for Palestinians while demanding repairing the damage that was done there.”

This particular fruit has become a symbol for support for Palestinians because of its colors, which match the colors in the Palestinian flag – the distinctive four-color pattern.

Previous Activism plus Current Developments

In 2021, the ice cream company ceased sales of its products in territories occupied by Israel, resulting in Unilever transferring their Israel business to a local licensee, thereby permitting ongoing distribution in disputed territories.

The new product line will be created through Ben's Best, the activist ice cream brand which originally created several years back for endorsing former political contender Bernie Sanders with the product "Bernie's Return".

Leadership Changes and Future Intentions

Mr. Cohen revealed how he plans to develop other frozen dessert varieties focusing on issues that the company was silenced from speaking about openly by corporate restrictions.

The announcement comes after co-founder Jerry Greenfield stepped down from the company recently, after decades with the organization, citing concerns that its independence was compromised following Unilever's decision to curb their advocacy work.

Previously, Mr. Cohen commented that “My partner has strong compassion and this conflict with our parent company was breaking it."

"My heart leads me to continue to work inside the company to fight for corporate autonomy so that the company can fulfill the social mission, the values that established its foundation and has maintained for over 40 years," he explained to journalists.

  • Parent company restrictions regarding political advocacy
  • Personal product development from company founders
  • The fruit-based product serving as political symbol
  • Ongoing tensions between corporate ownership and ethical values
Chelsea Kennedy
Chelsea Kennedy

A software engineer and tech writer with over a decade of experience in cloud computing and AI applications.