They’ll need their sundae best.
The founders of ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s are exploring buying back their company from Unilever Plc — as the namesakes claim the corporation interferes with their lefty politics.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield sold their eponymous ice cream brand back in 2000 for $326 million to multinational conglomerate Unilever — which also owns competing brands Breyers and Magnum.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are considering an attempt to buy back their eponymous ice cream brand from food giant Unilever. Courtesy of HBOUnilever said the lucrative ice cream business is not for sale, according to Bloomberg, but will be spun off in a demerger as part of a cost-cutting drive. The company expects the spinoff to become a publicly traded company with listings in Amsterdam, London and New York.
Ben & Jerry’s business could be valued at several billion dollars in sales, which would mean Cohen and Greenfield would need to find financial backers if they were to pursue a purchase, the outlet reported. The ice cream maker rolled in some $8.72 billion in sales in 2024.
The Vermont-born Ben & Jerry’s has long been associated with progressive politics and social justice causes — and has navigated a rocky road with Unilever for the past several years.
Ben & Jerry’s boasted upward of $8 billion in sales in fiscal year 2024. In Pictures via Getty ImagesEarlier this month, Ben & Jerry’s filed a complaint as part of the suit claiming the megacorp was trying to dismantle its independent board and put a halt to all social activism — which includes criticizing President Trump.
The filing included the allegation that Unilever prevented the Phish Food mongers from posting on social media about Trump’s inauguration.
Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen at the “One World One Heart Festival” in Central Park, New York City, in May 1993. Getty ImagesUnilever CEO Peter ter Kulve defended the company’s action, saying it created a “new dynamic” in an “unprecedented time.”
The Chubby Hubby slingers came to a head with Unilever back in 2021 when the left-handed scoopers vowed to halt all sales in the West Bank — a decision that was overridden by top brass at the UK-based food giant who proceeded with their sale to a local Israeli licensee.
Ben & Jerry’s filed a lawsuit at the time alleging Unilever was infringing upon the independent board of the company, which was guaranteed as part of the original corporate sale.
