🔗 Share this article

One of the co-founders of the well-known ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has claimed that corporate owner Unilever prevented the introduction of a new Palestine-themed frozen dessert product.

Ben Cohen, who co-founded the company alongside his partner, revealed that he will independently develop the controversial product within a personal collection highlighting causes the company was barred from addressing publicly.

Longstanding Conflict Between Founders and Corporate Owner

This latest announcement escalates the ongoing conflict among the internationally recognized dessert company and its corporate parent, the British packaged goods giant which acquired Ben & Jerry's for over two decades.

The co-founders have asserted how the parent company along with its ice cream arm the Magnum brand unlawfully blocked Ben & Jerry's from "fulfilling its ethical commitments".

Watermelon Flavor becoming a Symbol of Support

Mr. Cohen announced via an Instagram video that he's developing a new watermelon-flavored frozen dessert, requesting public suggestions for naming options plus potential ingredients.

“I'm doing what they couldn't,” Mr. Cohen stated from his kitchen. “I'm making a watermelon-based ice cream that advocates for lasting ceasefire in Palestine and calls for repairing the damage that was done there.”

The watermelon has become a symbol for support for Palestinians due to its colors, which match those of Palestine's national banner – the distinctive four-color pattern.

Historical Activism and Current Changes

In 2021, the ice cream company refused to sell its products in areas occupied by Israel, resulting in the parent company selling the Israeli operation to an Israeli distributor, thus allowing continued sales in the occupied West Bank.

The new product line is being developed under Mr. Cohen's personal brand, the activist ice cream brand which originally created several years back for endorsing ex- US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders with the flavor "Bernie's Return".

Management Shifts and Upcoming Plans

The founder revealed that he plans to develop other ice cream flavors that address issues which the company was silenced from addressing publicly due to Unilever.

The announcement comes after co-founder Jerry Greenfield stepped down from Ben & Jerry's in September, following many years with the organization, mentioning worries regarding how its independence was compromised following Unilever's decision to curb their advocacy work.

At that time, Ben Cohen remarked how “My partner has strong compassion and the ongoing dispute with Unilever was deeply distressing him."

"My heart compels me to continue to work within the organization to advocate for its independence so that the company can actualise its ethical purpose, the values which it was founded on and has maintained for over 40 years," he explained to media outlets.

• Corporate owner restrictions regarding social activism
• Independent flavor creation from company founders
• Watermelon flavor as social statement
• Continuing tensions among corporate ownership and ethical values