The ice cream brand's Co-Founder Alleges Unilever Halted Palestine-Themed Frozen Dessert Flavor

Ice cream activism illustration
Socially Conscious Entrepreneurs advocating for political issues through frozen treats

One of the co-founders of the famous ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has stated that corporate owner the multinational conglomerate blocked the introduction of a new Palestine-themed ice cream flavor.

The entrepreneur, who co-founded the company with Jerry Greenfield, disclosed that he will personally create this new flavor within an individual series highlighting causes Ben & Jerry's was barred from speaking out about.

Longstanding Dispute Involving Founders versus Parent Company

The recent announcement intensifies the ongoing conflict among the internationally recognized ice cream maker with Unilever, the British consumer goods giant that acquired Ben & Jerry's since 2000.

The co-founders maintain that Unilever along with its ice cream arm the Magnum brand unlawfully blocked their company against "fulfilling its ethical commitments".

Watermelon Sorbet as a Symbol of Support

The entrepreneur revealed through social media how he's developing a new watermelon-flavored frozen dessert, requesting public suggestions for naming options and potential ingredients.

“I'm accomplishing what they were prevented from doing,” Mr. Cohen commented in a cooking set. “I'm making a watermelon-based frozen dessert that calls for lasting ceasefire for Palestinians while demanding repairing the damage that was done there.”

The watermelon has emerged as a symbol for support for the Palestinian people because of its coloration, which mirror the colors in Palestine's national banner – red, green, black and white.

Previous Activism and Recent Changes

Several years ago, Ben & Jerry's ceased sales of its products in areas under Israeli control, resulting in Unilever transferring their Israel business to an Israeli distributor, thus allowing continued sales within the occupied West Bank.

This upcoming dessert series will be developed under Ben's Best, the socially conscious ice cream brand which originally created in 2016 to support ex- US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders with the product "Bernie's Return".

Leadership Shifts plus Upcoming Intentions

The founder stated that he plans to develop other ice cream flavors that address concerns which Ben & Jerry's was prevented from speaking about openly due to Unilever.

The announcement comes after co-founder Jerry Greenfield stepped down from Ben & Jerry's in September, after many years with the organization, citing concerns that the company's autonomy was undermined following corporate moves to restrict its social activism.

Previously, Mr. Cohen stated how “My partner has a really big heart and this conflict with our parent company was deeply distressing him."

"My heart leads me to keep working inside the company to fight for its independence so that the company can fulfill the social mission, the values which it was founded on while upholding for over 40 years," he explained to media outlets.

  • Corporate owner restrictions regarding political advocacy
  • Personal flavor creation from company founders
  • The fruit-based product as political symbol
  • Ongoing disagreements among corporate ownership versus social mission
Tammy Moreno
Tammy Moreno

A digital strategist with over a decade of experience in tech consulting and content creation, passionate about simplifying complex topics.