‘It ain’t the same’: inside the bitter battle to free Ben & Jerry’s
Summary
Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, is fighting to regain control of the company from its parent company, Magnum Ice Cream (a Unilever spin-off). He claims that Magnum is preventing the brand from supporting social causes and wants it to be independently owned again. Cohen has launched a boycott of other Magnum brands to pressure a sale, while the legal battle over company values and control continues.Key Facts
- Ben Cohen co-founded Ben & Jerry’s in 1978 with Jerry Greenfield in Vermont.
- In 2000, they sold the company to Unilever but kept an independent board to protect the brand’s social mission and quality.
- Cohen says the independent control has mostly disappeared after Unilever spun off its ice cream brands into Magnum Ice Cream in 2025.
- Cohen sued Unilever in November 2024 for blocking Ben & Jerry’s support for Gaza and breaking their agreement.
- Cohen wants Magnum to sell Ben & Jerry’s so it can be independently owned and operated again.
- Magnum refuses to sell and denies the company is for sale.
- To pressure Magnum, Cohen started a boycott of Magnum’s other ice cream brands like Breyers and Talenti.
- Some experts doubt the boycott will succeed because it is hard to keep consumer attention long term.
- Ben & Jerry’s was once known for strong social activism while under Unilever, including supporting same-sex marriage and opposing war and racism.
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