Ben & Jerry’s has lost its Jerry.
After 47 years, Jerry Greenfield—who co-founded the ice cream brand with Ben Cohen—has resigned from his post, saying he could no longer “in good conscience” work with the father company Unilever.
“I’m resigning from the company Ben and I started back in 1978,” Jerry wrote in a statement shared by his business partner on social media Sept. 17. “This is one of the hardest and most painful decisions I’ve ever made.”
Despite leaving, Jerry insisted that he still loved his colleagues who work at the company.
“The folks who show up every day in our factories, scoop shops and offices are some of the most passionate, caring, and values-driven people you’ll ever meet,” he continued. They are the soul of Ben & Jerry’s.”
However, the 74-year-old stated that the guarantees Unilever—who purchased Ben & Jerry’s in 2000—made to him and his co-founder were no longer being valued.
“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,” he added, noting that their independence to do so was negotiated in their purchasing agreement. “It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone.”
Indeed, Jerry noted that it no longer felt worth it to him to participate in Ben & Jerry’s.
“From the very beginning, Ben and I believed that our values and the pursuit of justice were more important than the company itself,” Jerry expressed. “If the company couldn’t stand up for the things we believed, then it wasn’t worth being a company at all.”
Although the company is—at its core—an ice cream company, Jerry emphasized that it’s always been about much more.
“It was a way to spread love and invite others into the fight for equity, justice and a better world,” he added. Coming to the conclusion that this is no longer possible at Ben & Jerry’s means I can no longer remain part of Ben & Jerry’s.”
Jerry concluded, “If I can’t carry those values forward inside the company today, then I will carry them forward outside, with all the love and conviction I can.”
In response to Jerry’s depature, The Magnum Ice Cream Company said in a statement to E! News that they were “forever grateful” to the co-founder for “turning his passion for delicious ice cream and addressing social causes into a remarkable success story.”
“We disagree with his perspective and have sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position in the world,” the statement continued. “We remain committed to Ben & Jerry’s unique three-part mission—product, economic and social—and remain focused on carrying forward the legacy of peace, love, and ice cream of this iconic, much-loved brand.”
