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Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield has announced his resignation from the ice cream company after 47 years, amid an ongoing dispute between its founders and the brand’s parent group, Unilever.

Greenfield established the now iconic ice cream brand in 1978 alongside co-founder Ben Cohen, who shared an emotional open letter from Greenfield on social media platform X this morning (17 September 2025), announcing the news.

Greenfield and Cohen sold the brand to Unilever in 2000 in a $326 million deal. Greenfield stated that the co-founders’ independence to pursue their values was at the core of the agreed merger – however, in his resignation announcement, he claimed this independence “is gone,” describing the situation as “profoundly disappointing” and “one of the hardest and most painful decisions I’ve ever made”.

In his letter, Greenfield wrote: “For more than 20 years under their ownership, Ben & Jerry’s stood up and spoke out in support of peace, justice and human rights, not as abstract concepts but in relation to real events happening in our world”.

“This independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement Ben and I negotiated with Unilever, one that enshrined our social mission and values in the company’s governance structure in perpetuity.”

The co-founders’ relationship with Unilever has become increasingly strained in recent years, as the two have accused Unilever of silencing their stance on political issues. In March, they accused the F&B giant of removing Ben & Jerry's' CEO, David Stever, due to his commitment to the brand's social mission.

Earlier this month, Greenfield and Cohen publicly urged the board of the newly formed  Magnum Ice Cream Company – created as part of Unilever’s strategy to spin-off its ice cream business – to allow Ben & Jerry’s to operate independently.

“We no longer believe that Ben & Jerry’s can thrive as part of a conglomerate that fails to support its founding mission,” they wrote. “The strength of Ben & Jerry’s lies in the authenticity of its values and its voice, whether in opposing crimes against humanity, supporting marriage equality or demanding climate justice.”