Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen has revealed that consumer goods giant Unilever stopped the ice cream company from releasing a pro-Palestine flavor — prompting him to produce the flavor independently.
In an interview with The Guardian, Cohen said that the idea for the flavor, which was meant to highlight Palestinian human rights and call for peace in the region, was rejected by Unilever, the multinational conglomerate that owns Ben & Jerry’s.
“They didn’t want us to do it. They said it was too political,” Cohen told the newspaper. “But silence in the face of injustice is also political — so I’m making it myself.”
Cohen, who co-founded Ben & Jerry’s in 1978 alongside Jerry Greenfield, has long been known for his outspoken activism on social justice and foreign policy issues. He said his new ice cream flavor, “Peace Pop: From the River to the Sea,” will be launched under a separate label not affiliated with Unilever.
Unilever, which purchased Ben & Jerry’s in 2000, has had a rocky relationship with the brand’s founders and independent board over political issues. In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would stop selling products in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories — a move Unilever later overruled.
Cohen said his decision to move forward independently reflects his frustration with corporate censorship:
“Ben & Jerry’s was built on the idea that business can be a force for good. That principle hasn’t changed for me — even if I have to do it outside the company now.”
Unilever has yet to respond to the renewed criticism.
