Ben & Jerry’s co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield have urged Unilever to spin off the ice cream brand as an independent company, warning its long-standing commitments to social justice are being undermined.

In an open letter to prospective investors and the board of The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) – the new entity set to house Unilever’s ice cream brands – the pair called on the group to “free” Ben & Jerry’s.

They argued the brand should be backed by “socially-aligned investors” and allowed to “honour its mission without compromise”.

Cohen and Greenfield, who no longer have control of the business, said Ben & Jerry’s has been “silenced” by Unilever when attempting to comment on issues such as social justice and conflict.

“We are deeply concerned that the commitments made to us, our employees and our customers are being eroded. For several years now the voice of Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced by Unilever, particularly when the brand has tried to speak out about social justice and unjust wars.

“That is not the Ben & Jerry’s that we founded, or the one that we envisioned when we agreed to join Unilever 25 years ago,” they wrote.

Even if Unilever placates its investors, it still has Ben & Jerry’s to deal with

Last year, Unilever announced plans to demerge its ice cream business, which houses brands including Ben & Jerry’s, Wall’s and Magnum, now progressing to operating as a standalone company under the name The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC).

The founders argue that despite being a new entity, TMICC will “retain the legacy, leadership and investment of Unilever’s ice cream business and the history of its actions against Ben & Jerry’s”.

Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000 in a deal that was meant to preserve the brand’s independence and social mission. However, the co-founders claim that freedom has been steadily eroded.

“We no longer believe that Ben & Jerry’s belongs under the umbrella of a corporate entity that fails to support its founding mission,” Cohen and Greenfield wrote.

History of conflict

Ben & Jerry’s has historically taken strong stances on issues such as climate justice, marriage equality, racial justice and support for Palestine. The call for independence follows a long history of Ben & Jerry’s becoming embroiled in controversy with Unilever.

In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s halted sales in Israel-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in protest against Israeli policies of evicting Palestinians to make way for Jewish-only settlements.

The move triggered a legal battle after Unilever sold the Israeli licence to a local operator to continue sales. Ben & Jerry’s argued the deal breached its 2000 acquisition agreement and undermined the authority of its independent board.

Meanwhile, Ben & Jerry’s accused Unilever of demanding that it stop publicly criticising Donald Trump in February this year. In November 2024, the ice cream brand took legal action against its parent, accusing the company of trying to block it from making public statements supporting Palestinian refugees in the conflict in Gaza.

Unilever has come under fire in recent years for putting purpose over profit. In early 2024, former CEO Hein Schumacher – who took over leadership of Unilever in July 2023 and stepped down in March this year – criticised his predecessor for focusing on purpose at the expense of growth. Speaking at the time, Schumacher announced Unilever would stop “force-fitting” purpose to all its brands.