Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry's, the eponymous ice cream brand known for their unique flavors and social justice bent, has stepped down from the company after 47 years, amidst disagreements with their parent company, Unilever.
In a statement posted on behalf of Jerry by co-founder Ben Cohen, he said he "can no longer, in good conscience," stay an employee of the brand he helped begin in 1978. "This is one of the hardest and most painful decisions I've ever made," he wrote.
"For more than twenty 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," he said.
"That 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. It's profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone."
Jerry said this loss of independence is coming at the same time when "our country's current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women and the LGBTQ community."
"Standing up for the values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important, and yet Ben & Jerry's has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power," he wrote. "It's easy to stand up and speak out when there's nothing at risk. The real test of values is when times are challenging and you have something to lose."
You can read the full statement here.
Online, people have many thoughts about the news:
"This is just sad."
"Respect to Jerry for standing by his values. Sometimes walking away is the strongest statement you can make."
"This man resigned so he can freefully protest and stand up for basic human rights. We need more of this."
"Sad to leave @benandjerrys...but I always bought it thinking it was a vote for the good guys. If that's no longer the case…I'm no longer a buyer... Thank you Jerry for doing the right thing...we're with you! 👊🏿👊🏾👊🏽👊🏼👊🏻"
Many encouraged him to launch a new brand:
"Make a different ice cream. We’ll all buy it. We got your back! Let them have the name."
"I hope he starts a new ice cream brand and just calls it 'Jerry's' or both can leave and start 'Jerry & Ben’s.'"
"Where are we headed next Jerry? We’re all in ❤️."
Ben & Jerry's has been urging to be allowed to operate independently since the brand became part of The Magnum Ice Cream Company through a Unilever de-merger. A week ago, co-founder Ben Cohen made a video protesting The Magnum Ice Cream Company's stake in Ben & Jerry's future, urging them to "sell the company to a group of people who support the values of Ben & Jerry's."
"Magnum! You're ripping the heart out of Ben & Jerry's! Set us free!" He began, holding a poster that said, "Free Ben & Jerry's."
"Ben & Jerry's has been trying to speak out to support the student protesters. They wouldn't let us do that. We've been trying to speak out against the genocide in Gaza. They wouldn't let us do that. We've been trying to speak out for racial justice. They silenced us on that. So they're ripping the heart out of Ben & Jerry's," he said.
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