Ben Cohen, one of the architects behind Ben & Jerry’s, says its parent company, Unilever, has stopped it from rolling out a Palestine-themed ice cream.
Taking to social media, Cohen posted a video on his own channels asking the public to help him develop his pro-Gaza ice cream, including ingredients and packaging design.
“A while back Ben & Jerry’s tried to make a flavour to call for peace in Palestine,” he said.
“To stand for justice and dignity for everyone, like Ben & Jerry’s always have. But they weren’t allowed to. They were stopped by Unilever/Magnum, the company that owns Ben & Jerry’s.”
This isn’t the first time the founders have locked horns with their owner. In 2022, a US judge denied a request by Ben & Jerry’s which would have prevented Unilever from selling its ice cream in Israeli settlements in the occupied territories.
Unilever sold its Israeli operation to a local licensee, which sees the ice cream still sold in the occupied West Bank.
Ben & Jerry’s was bought by Unilever in 2000 – with the deal being it would be allowed to maintain an independent board to oversee its social mission.
Food Manufacture understands that Magnum has indeed confirmed it did not approve the Ben & Jerry’s board proposal for the pro-Gaza ice cream, which it pitched earlier this year.
Cohen is now going it alone - asking for the public to suggest flavours and packaging ideas. He notes that all he has so far is a watermelon – which represents the Palestine flag (red, green, back and white) - and an empty pint.
“I’m doing what they couldn’t,” he said on socials. “I’m making a watermelon flavoured ice cream that calls for permanent peace in Palestine and calls for repairing all the damage that was done there.”
The public has suggested flavour combinations such as watermelon with mint and lemon; watermelon with honey, pine nuts, mint and lime; and watermelon with rose water, date and pomegranate molasses. Meanwhile, popular name suggestions include ‘Sweet Resistance’, ‘Freemelon’, and ‘Seeds of Freedom’.
This latest spat between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever, follows the B&J co-founders calling for the brand to be made independent.
In a letter, Cohen and Jerry Greenfield said that the ownership of Unilever has led to the breakdown of the “social values on which [Ben & Jerry’s] was founded”.
They also noted that while The Magnum Ice Cream Company is set to become an independent entity, the brand will likely maintain Unilever’s legacy because the FMCG giant is expected to retain a material stake.
Magnum has rejected talk of selling the business, with CEO Peter ter Kulve stating: “Ben & Jerry’s is not for sale.”
Shortly after, co-founder Greenfield quit his role with the ice cream brand.
In a statement, he said: “It is profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone.”
