🔗 Share this article

The original creators behind the well-known ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has stated that corporate owner the multinational conglomerate blocked the launch for an innovative pro-Palestinian frozen dessert product.

The entrepreneur, that co-founded the business alongside Jerry Greenfield, revealed that he plans to personally create this new product within a personal series highlighting causes Ben & Jerry's has been barred from speaking out about.

Longstanding Conflict Between Founders and Parent Company

This latest announcement intensifies the continuing conflict between the internationally recognized dessert company and Unilever, the British consumer goods giant that has owned Ben & Jerry's since 2000.

Both founders maintain that the parent company and its ice cream arm the Magnum brand improperly prevented Ben & Jerry's against "honouring its social mission".

The Fruit Flavor becoming an Emblem for Solidarity

Mr. Cohen revealed via an Instagram video how he is creating an innovative watermelon-based sorbet, asking for consumer ideas regarding naming options plus additional components.

“I'm accomplishing what they couldn't,” the founder declared in his kitchen. “I'm making a watermelon-based ice cream that advocates for lasting ceasefire for Palestinians while demanding repairing the damage that occurred in the region.”

This particular fruit has become an emblem of solidarity with the Palestinian people due to its coloration, which mirror the colors in Palestine's national banner – the distinctive four-color pattern.

Previous Activism plus Current Developments

In 2021, Ben & Jerry's ceased sales of its products in areas occupied by Israel, leading to the parent company transferring the Israeli operation over to an Israeli distributor, thereby permitting ongoing distribution in disputed territories.

The new product line is being created through Mr. Cohen's personal brand, the socially conscious dessert company that was first created in 2016 for endorsing ex- US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders with the flavor "Bernie's Return".

Management Shifts plus Future Plans

Mr. Cohen stated how he plans to create other frozen dessert varieties focusing on issues which the company was prevented from speaking about openly due to Unilever.

This development comes after co-founder Mr. Greenfield resigned from Ben & Jerry's in September, following many years with the organization, citing worries regarding how the company's autonomy had been undermined following corporate moves to restrict their advocacy work.

Previously, Ben Cohen stated that “My partner has strong compassion and the ongoing dispute with Unilever was deeply distressing him."

"My heart leads me to keep working within the organization to advocate for corporate autonomy ensuring that the company can fulfill the social mission, the principles which it was founded on while upholding for over 40 years," he explained to journalists.

• Corporate owner restrictions on social activism
• Independent flavor creation from company founders
• Watermelon flavor as political symbol
• Continuing disagreements between corporate ownership versus social mission