Unilever Blocks Ben & Jerry’s Plan for ‘Palestine’ Flavor, Co-Founder Launches It Independently

Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, says parent company Unilever blocked an attempt by the ice cream brand to release a new flavor expressing solidarity with Palestinians, according to a BBC report.

Cohen announced that he will move forward with the project independently, creating the flavor under his personal brand that promotes social causes which he claims Ben & Jerry’s has been prevented from supporting.

(Belaaz wonders if the Kosher certification would have been the classic Kof-K DE, or would have gone Halal)

Ben & Jerry’s, known for its political activism and extremely anti Israel statements, including its past remarks on the Israel-Gaza conflict, has often clashed with Unilever, which acquired the company in 2000.

According to Cohen, both Unilever and its soon-to-be-separated ice cream division, Magnum, have “unlawfully blocked” Ben & Jerry’s from pursuing its “social mission.”

In a video posted on Instagram on Tuesday, Cohen revealed he is developing a watermelon-flavored sorbet and invited fans to suggest names and ingredients. The watermelon, featuring the same colors as the Palestinian flag, has become a symbol associated with Palestinians.

“I’m doing what they couldn’t,” Cohen said in the video, filmed in a kitchen. “I’m making a watermelon-flavoured ice cream that calls for permanent peace in Palestine and for repairing the damage that was done there.”

Cohen added that Unilever had explicitly forbidden Ben & Jerry’s from producing the dessert.

The flavor will be released through his separate venture, Ben’s Best, which focuses on socially driven products. In a press statement, Cohen said the new flavor will be produced independently and will highlight issues that the original company was blocked from addressing.

Ben’s Best was first launched in 2016 to support then-presidential candidate Bernie Sanders with the “Bernie’s Back” flavor. Cohen said he plans to continue developing other socially conscious flavors under the brand.

Ben & Jerry’s previously announced in 2021 that it would halt sales in what it called “Israeli-occupied territories.” Unilever later sold the company’s Israeli operations to a local licensee, ensuring that Ben & Jerry’s ice cream continues to be sold across Yehudah and Shomron.

Tensions between the company’s founders and Unilever have intensified in recent months. In September, co-founder Jerry Greenfield resigned, saying Unilever’s control had compromised Ben & Jerry’s independence.

At the time, Cohen commented that Greenfield’s decision came from “a really big heart” and that “this conflict with Unilever was breaking it.” He added, “My heart leads me to keep working within the company to advocate for its independence, so it can continue to live up to its founding values and social mission of more than 40 years.”

Since 2022, Ben & Jerry’s Israel has operated entirely independently. The local branch, owned by Avi Zinger’s American Quality Products Ltd., manufactures ice cream in Be’er Tuvia and employs more than 200 workers, most from Israel’s south. The Israeli company continues to operate nationwide with full autonomy and strong community ties.