Latest news with #JerryGreenfield
Boston Globe
15-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Ben & Jerry's co-founder arrested at Senate protest over Gaza
The Capitol Police said Cohen was charged under a District of Columbia code that prohibits crowding, obstructing or incommoding — a citation often used in civil disobedience cases in the capital. Six other demonstrators arrested at the hearing face more serious charges, including assaulting a police officer, according to Capitol Police. Advertisement Earlier: Ben & Jerry's Says CEO Fired by Unilever on Political Stance Cohen, a longtime progressive activist, co-founded Ben & Jerry's in 1978 with Jerry Greenfield. The Vermont-based brand is known for its quirky flavors and outspoken political positions. Ben & Jerry's is currently embroiled in a legal fight with its parent company, Unilever PLC. In a lawsuit filed in March, the company accused Unilever of firing Chief Executive Officer David Stever over disagreements regarding how outspoken the brand should be on political issues.
Boston Globe
24-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Ben & Jerry's ice cream is not for sale, ays Unilever CEO
Speculation about the future of Ben & Jerry's has arisen after founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield expressed interest in buying back their namesake ice cream label, after years of tension between the brand and Unilever, according to a Bloomberg News report. Advertisement Founded in 1978, Ben & Jerry's became popular with offbeat flavors like Cherry Garcia and Chubby Hubby and associated itself with progressive causes. When Unilever bought the company in 2000, an agreement established an independent board at Ben & Jerry's to protect its social values. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up However, the two have increasingly clashed over how Ben & Jerry's communicates that social mission. In 2022, Ben & Jerry's sued Unilever for blocking its attempts to stop selling ice cream in the occupied West Bank. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Unilever was threatening to halt funding to the Ben & Jerry's Foundation, a US nonprofit that makes donations to social justice organizations. Unilever pays the foundation about $5 million annually, according to Fernandez, and it wants to know where money is being spent. Advertisement 'We have not made any threat,' he said, but added that audits form part of proper governance. 'It is our responsibility to ensure that these funds are used properly,' he said. 'It has to be allocated to areas or institutions that are absolutely in line with the ones that are part of the acquisition agreement.' Unilever on Thursday reported that sales rose more than expected in the first quarter, mostly driven by higher prices as commodity costs surge.
New York Post
22-04-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Unilever threatens to pull funding for Ben & Jerry's Foundation as progressive battle escalates: report
Unilever has threatened to pull funding for the Ben & Jerry's Foundation – escalating its battle to muzzle the left-leaning ice cream brand's progressive activism, according to a report. The company has demanded Ben & Jerry's Foundation submit to an expedited audit of its donations to continue receiving funding, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Unilever, which is based in London, gives approximately $5 million to the foundation each year, based on a formula of the ice cream company's sales and inflation, sources told Reuters. 3 Unilever has threatened to pull funding for the Ben & Jerry's Foundation, according to a report. REUTERS Ben & Jerry's and Unilever did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment. Ben & Jerry's Foundation donates to social justice grassroots organizations in the US, with an emphasis on groups in Vermont, where Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield founded the ice cream brand. It has supported the Human Rights Coalition, a prison reform group led by formerly incarcerated individuals; Felony Murder Elimination Project, which protests a California rule that allows the death penalty for felons who did not commit a murder; and Adelante Student Voices, a network for undocumented students. The company's threat to yank funding is retaliation for a lawsuit filed in November, when Ben & Jerry's accused Unilever of attempting to silence its pro-Palestinian messaging, the sources said. Ben & Jerry's has protested the war in Gaza and called for police departments to be defunded. The ice cream company – known for funky flavors like Phish Food, Half Baked and Chunky Monkey – has also accused Unilever of preventing it from speaking out against President Trump. 3 Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen, co-founders of Ben & Jerry's, serving free ice cream during a Scoop The Vote event. Getty Images for MoveOn Cohen, who co-founded Ben & Jerry's in 1978, earlier this month revealed he's trying to gather a group of investors to buy back the brand, as Unilever prepares to spin off the company and the rest of its ice cream businesses. He pleaded with Unilever to 'set us free.' Tensions have been bubbling up for months as the parent company tried to silence its unruly ice cream brand. In March, Ben & Jerry's claimed Unilever fired chief executive David Stever – who started as a tour guide for the ice cream brand's Waterbury factory – over the company's anti-Trump political activism. 3 Ben & Jerry's claimed Unilever fired its longtime chief executive. Getty Images Ben & Jerry's said the firing violated its 2000 merger agreement with the London firm. Unilever, however, argued it has the authority to appoint a new chief executive, and that the decision would only be made after speaking with the board. It's unclear whether Stever is still with the company. With Post wires
Boston Globe
19-03-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Ben & Jerry's says CEO fired by Unilever on political stance
Founded by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield in 1978, the brand became popular with offbeat flavors like Cherry Garcia and associated itself with progressive causes. When Unilever bought the company in 2000, an agreement established an independent board at Ben & Jerry's to protect its social values. Advertisement However, the two have consistently clashed over how Ben & Jerry's communicates that social mission. In 2022, Ben & Jerry's sued Unilever for blocking its attempts to stop selling ice cream in the occupied West Bank. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Unilever is currently preparing to spin off its ice cream division, which will list in the Netherlands. The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The foodmaker's shares were little changed in London on Wednesday, and have risen 15 percent in the past 12 months. The row comes as progressive causes at companies are increasingly under attack in the US and beyond. Businesses have started to retreat from commitments to diversity and inclusion under pressure from the Trump administration. Ben & Jerry's has now accused Unilever of silencing its attempts to speak out in support of peace in Gaza and usurping the independent board's authority. The latest dispute unfolded on March 3, when Ben & Jerry's said Unilever informed its independent board that it was removing and replacing Stever as CEO. Ben & Jerry's accused Unilever of attempting to force it to rubber stamp the decision by enforcing a hasty deadline. The ice cream maker said the actions breached the merger agreement 'by obstructing the CEO's duties, purposely undermining Ben & Jerry's Social Mission and Brand Integrity, and failing to abide by the agreed procedure for removal of Ben & Jerry's CEO,' according to the filing. Advertisement ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ben & Jerry's founders want their ice cream — and their voice — back
Ben & Jerry's co-founders are reportedly exploring the possibility of buying back their brand, citing concerns that its corporate owner, Unilever, has stifled the company's social activism. According to Inc.'s Bruce Crumley, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are 'reportedly looking to reacquire the beloved ice cream brand, claiming its corporate owner has muzzled the company's social activism.' Per a report in Bloomberg, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are "exploring possibilities to repurchase the company they sold in 2000 to Unilever for $326 million.' In January, Ben & Jerry's filed a lawsuit against Unilever, arguing that the parent company had violated a settlement agreement by 'inappropriately halting Ben & Jerry's social mission,' according to court documents. 'Specifically, during the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of over 18,000 innocent Palestinian children, Ben & Jerry's has on four occasions attempted to publicly speak out in support of peace and human rights,' the lawsuit states. Unilever has silenced each of these efforts.' The suit also details additional instances of alleged censorship, including efforts to 'resist the Trump administration' that were reportedly blocked following his November 2024 election victory. Despite the co-founders' reported interest in reacquiring the brand, Unilever appears unwilling to sell. In a statement to Bloomberg, the company said, 'Ben & Jerry's is an important part of the ice cream business, and it's not for sale.'
