The co-founders of Ben & Jerry\u2019s have called for the ice-cream brand to be made independent and excluded from current owner Unilever\u2019s plans to list its ice-cream business on the stock market.<\/p>\n
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield say The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC), a new division of Unilever that is set to be separately listed in November and includes the brand founded by the pair in 1978 alongside Magnum, Cornetto and Wall\u2019s, \u201cmust free Ben & Jerry\u2019s\u201d in an open letter to prospective investors and the group\u2019s board.<\/p>\n
The pair, who no longer have a financial interest in Ben & Jerry\u2019s or any formal role, say they \u201cfeel compelled to speak out \u2013 as concerned individuals\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are deeply concerned that the commitments made to us, our employees, and our customers are being eroded. For several years now the voice of Ben & Jerry\u2019s has been silenced by Unilever, particularly when the brand has tried to speak out about social justice and unjust wars. That is not the Ben & Jerry\u2019s that we founded, or the one that we envisioned when we agreed to join.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ice-cream company launched in Vermont in the US with a mission to \u201cadvance human rights and dignity\u201d.<\/p>\n
The letter says: \u201cWe believe that the founding values are central to what Ben & Jerry\u2019s is, and cannot simply be discarded out of convenience or under political pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cohen added: <\/strong>\u201cBen & Jerry\u2019s was founded on a simple but radical premise: that our business could thrive and make outstanding products whilst standing up for progressive values.<\/p>\n \u201cWe fought to ensure our social justice mission was protected by Unilever when the company was acquired, but over the past several years, this has been eroded, and the company\u2019s voice has been muted. We won\u2019t be silent any more. Authenticity has always been at the very heart of what we do, and stripping this away risks destroying the very value of Ben & Jerry\u2019s. We urge the board and potential investors to rethink the inclusion of Ben & Jerry\u2019s in Magnum\u2019s future makeup and establish a Free Ben & Jerry\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for TMICC said: \u201cBen & Jerry\u2019s is a proud part of The Magnum Ice Cream Company and is not for sale. We remain committed to Ben & Jerry\u2019s unique three-part mission \u2013 product, economic and social \u2013 and look forward to building on its success as an iconic, much-loved business.\u201d<\/p>\n The latest spat comes after a series of disagreements.<\/p>\n Last year, Ben & Jerry\u2019s social mission board, an entity that is independent from Unilever, launched legal action against Unilever<\/a>, accusing its parent company of trying to block the ice-cream brand from making public statements supporting Palestinian refugees in the conflict in Gaza.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Business Today<\/p>\n Get set for the working day \u2013 we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n The lawsuit claimed that Unilever had threatened to dismantle its board and sue directors over the issue.<\/p>\n Unilever has rejected the claims and said it would \u201cdefend our case very strongly\u201d.<\/p>\n Ben & Jerry\u2019s has also clashed with its parent company over the sale of its products<\/a> in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.<\/p>\n