The founders of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream appear to be fighting a losing battle against the company that owns the brand, which is seeking to politically detoxify the product in the MAGA era.
Earlier this month, Ben Cohen, one of its radical left founders, was trying to gather investors to buy back the brand he and cofounder Jerry Greenfield sold for to Unilever $326 million twenty-five years ago, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“In the year 2000, Unilever loved us for who we were,” Cohen told the Wall Street Journal. “Now we’ve gone separate ways in our relationship. We just need them to set us free.”
Unilever dashed Cohen’s plan this week, Bloomberg reported, indicating that Ben and Jerry’s is “not for sale.”
Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez said on a media call, “The separation and listing of ice cream is the option that we consider maximizes shareholder value; that has not changed.”
The buy back attempt came just weeks after Unilever removed the company’s anti-Trump CEO Dave Stever, apparently because of his commitment to Ben and Jerry’s leftist activism, Breitbart reported.
A lawsuit also is in play. According to amended court documents filed Tuesday by the Ben & Jerry’s board, the parent company Unilever ousted Stever without consulting the independent Ben and Jerry’s board.
The firing came despite a letter of support from Cohen and Greenfield. It follows years of legal clashes over how the ice cream company communicates its politics.
Unilever is now preparing to spin off its ice cream assets. As of July 1, Unilever ice cream will reportedly become the Magnum Ice Cream Company and be listed in the Netherlands as a separate entity.
Ben & Jerry’s has long appeared less focused on selling its sugary dessert and more focused on selling a woke political worldview according to its detractors.
Its many social justice causes have included calling for the defunding of police, opposing legislation banning men from women’s sports, taking anti-Israel stances, and promoting Democratic candidates.
The brand has also been known for sprinkling liberal talking points into its product messaging since it since it was founded in Vermont.
In the last few years those icy offerings have included flavors such as Pecan Resist, Change the Whirled, and Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee to promote leftist causes and candidates.
Earlier this week, news broke that Unilever also allegedly threatened to pull funding for the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, a nonprofit supporting organizations that advocate for prison reforms and undocumented youth. Unilever demanded the foundation submit to an expedited audit to continue receiving funding — about $5 million each year.
“Ben & Jerry’s is a company with a soul,” Cohen told the Journal. “Business is the most powerful force in our society, and for that, it has responsibility to the society.”
Unilever CEO Fernandez said the proposed foundation audit is in keeping with the acquisition agreement with Ben and Jerry’s. “It is our responsibility to ensure that these funds are used properly,” he said.
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