🔗 Share this article

One of the co-founders of the famous ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has announced that corporate owner the multinational conglomerate prevented the introduction of an innovative Palestine-themed ice cream flavor.

The entrepreneur, that established the business with his partner, disclosed that he will personally create this new flavor within a personal series highlighting issues Ben & Jerry's was barred from speaking out about.

Longstanding Dispute Involving Founders and Parent Company

This latest development deepens the continuing disagreement among the internationally recognized dessert company with its corporate parent, the UK-based packaged goods corporation which acquired the ice cream brand for over two decades.

Both founders maintain that Unilever and its ice cream arm Magnum improperly prevented Ben & Jerry's from "fulfilling its ethical commitments".

The Fruit Flavor becoming an Emblem of Solidarity

Mr. Cohen revealed through social media how he is creating an innovative watermelon-based frozen dessert, requesting public suggestions for the product's name and additional components.

“I'm doing what they were prevented from doing,” the founder declared from his kitchen. “I'm making a watermelon-flavored ice cream that calls for permanent peace for Palestinians while demanding repairing the damage that was done there.”

The watermelon has become an emblem of solidarity with the Palestinian people because of its coloration, that mirror the colors in Palestine's national banner – red, green, black and white.

Previous Activism plus Current Changes

Several years ago, Ben & Jerry's refused to sell its products in areas under Israeli control, resulting in the parent company selling the Israeli operation over to an Israeli distributor, thus allowing ongoing distribution within disputed territories.

This upcoming dessert series will be developed under Ben's Best, the activist dessert company which was first created several years back for endorsing ex- political contender Bernie Sanders via the product "Bernie's Return".

Management Shifts plus Upcoming Plans

Mr. Cohen stated that he will develop additional ice cream flavors focusing on issues that Ben & Jerry's was silenced from speaking about openly by corporate restrictions.

This development follows partner Mr. Greenfield resigned from the company in September, following decades with the organization, mentioning worries regarding how the company's autonomy was undermined after Unilever's decision to curb their advocacy work.

At that time, Ben Cohen remarked that “My partner has strong compassion and this conflict with our parent company was breaking it."

"My heart compels me to continue to work inside the company to fight for its independence so that it can fulfill the social mission, the values which established its foundation while upholding for decades," he told journalists.

• Parent company restrictions on social activism
• Personal flavor creation from original creators
• The fruit-based product serving as social statement
• Continuing tensions between parent company versus ethical values