The ice cream brand's Co-Founder Claims Unilever Halted Pro-Palestinian Ice Cream Flavor
One of the co-founders of the famous frozen dessert company Ben & Jerry's has stated how parent company the multinational conglomerate stopped the introduction for an innovative Palestine-themed frozen dessert product.
The entrepreneur, who established the company alongside Jerry Greenfield, disclosed that he plans to personally create the controversial product within a personal series highlighting causes the company has been prevented from addressing publicly.
Ongoing Dispute Involving Creators versus Corporate Owner
The recent development escalates the ongoing conflict between the world-famous dessert company with Unilever, the UK-based consumer goods corporation that has owned Ben & Jerry's for over two decades.
The co-founders have claimed that the parent company and their ice cream division Magnum improperly prevented Ben & Jerry's against "honouring its social mission".
Watermelon Flavor becoming an Emblem of Support
The entrepreneur stated through an Instagram video that he's developing a new watermelon-based sorbet, asking for public suggestions for naming options and potential ingredients.
“I'm accomplishing what they were prevented from doing,” Mr. Cohen stated in his kitchen. “I'm making a watermelon-flavored frozen dessert that advocates for lasting ceasefire in Palestine while demanding repairing the damage that occurred in the region.”
This particular fruit has emerged as a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian people because of its coloration, that mirror the colors in the Palestinian flag – red, green, black and white.
Historical Activism plus Current Changes
Several years ago, the ice cream company refused to sell their merchandise in territories under Israeli control, leading to the parent company transferring the Israeli operation over to an Israeli distributor, thus allowing continued sales within the occupied West Bank.
The new product line will be created through Mr. Cohen's personal brand, the activist dessert company that was first created in 2016 to support ex- US presidential candidate Senator Sanders with the product "Bernie's Return".
Management Changes and Upcoming Plans
The founder indicated how he will create other frozen dessert varieties focusing on issues that Ben & Jerry's was prevented from addressing publicly by corporate restrictions.
This development comes after co-founder Jerry Greenfield resigned from the company recently, after many years of involvement, citing concerns that the company's autonomy was undermined after corporate moves to curb their advocacy work.
At that time, Mr. Cohen commented that “My partner has a really big heart and this conflict with Unilever was deeply distressing him."
"My heart compels me to keep working within the organization to advocate for corporate autonomy so that it can actualise the social mission, the values that it was founded on and has maintained for over 40 years," he told media outlets.
- Parent company restrictions regarding social activism
- Independent product development from original creators
- Watermelon flavor as social statement
- Ongoing disagreements between parent company and social mission