Ben & Jerry’s founders warn 'we won't be silent' in new demand to parent company
The friends who founded Ben & Jerry's have written an open letter calling for the firm to regain its independence
The founders of trendy ice cream firm Ben & Jerry’s have ramped-up demands to regain its independence.
The company, started by childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, was bought by Marmite maker Unilever in 2000. But the pair have had a long-running row with Unilever given Ben & Jerry’s has been known for its activism on many political and social issues.
Two years ago, Mr Cohen was arrested protesting against the extradition of Julian Assange. They are now using Unilever’s decision to spin-off its ice cream business to call for its “release” from the parent company.
Unilever expects the ice cream unit, to be called the Magnum Ice Cream Company, to command just over a fifth of the around £65billion global ice cream market. The split, scheduled for mid-November, will see Unilever retain a stake of just under 20%.
Mr Cohen and Mr Greenfield have now written an open letter to the board of the Magnum Ice Cream Company, and its prospective investors, calling for the ice cream brand to be released from its parent company and become its own independent entity again.
Mr Cohen, who picketed outside of a meeting in central London, said: “Ben & Jerry’s was founded on a simple but radical premise: that our business could thrive and make outstanding products whilst standing up for progressive values.
“We fought to ensure our social justice mission was protected by Unilever when the company was acquired, but over the past several years, this has been eroded, and the company’s voice has been muted. We won’t be silent anymore.
“Authenticity has always been at the very heart of what we do, and stripping this away risks destroying the very value of Ben & Jerry’s. We urge the board and potential investors to rethink the inclusion of Ben & Jerry’s in Magnum’s future make-up and establish a Free Ben & Jerry’s.”
Unilever's ice cream business, which includes four of the world's top five brands, generated £6.8billion in revenue in 2024.
Ice cream was Unilever's fastest-growing category in the second quarter with underlying sales growth of 7.1%, but the division has typically delivered lower profit margins than the company's other sectors such as personal care and beauty and wellbeing.
The new ice cream business will also test investor appetite for a sugar-heavy product at a time when US President Donald Trump's administration is pushing to "Make America Healthy Again".
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A spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company said: “Ben & Jerry’s is a proud part of The Magnum Ice Cream Company and is not for sale. We remain committed to Ben & Jerry’s unique three-part mission – product, economic and social – and look forward to building on its success as an iconic, much-loved business.”