Ben & Jerry’s co-founder claims Unilever blocked the brand’s Palestine-themed ice cream
Ben & Jerry’s founder to create sorbet flavour for Palestine
- Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's, is launching a campaign against Unilever, claiming the company blocked an ice cream flavour in support of Palestine.
- Cohen announced he will independently create a watermelon sorbet, a symbol of Palestine, through his own company, Ben's Best.
- This development follows previous tensions, including Ben & Jerry's 2021 refusal to sell products in Israeli-occupied West Bank, which Unilever circumvented by selling its arm to a local licensee.
- Cohen and fellow co-founder Jerry Greenfield are advocating for Ben & Jerry's to become an independently owned company, citing Unilever's alleged curbing of its social activism.
- Unilever stated that a proposal for such a product was considered by Ben & Jerry's leadership but was rejected, as management determined it was not the right time to invest in its development.