Peace Love and Ice Cream
Payton Costenbader
Marketing Editor
Ben and Jerry’s is a popular ice cream brand that has always stood out for its left-wing activism. In recent days, the co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield themselves are unhappy with how the current board of executives is maintaining the brand’s vision. Ben and Jerry’s website features a section explaining their values clearly stating, “Guided by our Core Values, we seek in all we do, at every level of our business, to advance human rights and dignity, support social and economic justice for historically marginalized communities, and protect and restore the Earth’s natural systems.” It is incredible to see a major corporation using their massive platform to spread positivity in the world.
The values of the brand were established by the founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, and the parent company that the pair sold the trademarked name too, Unilever, vowed to continue to allow the brand to advocate for such views. Recently, Cohen is rallying to buy back the company as they no longer feel that Unilever is supporting their brand image as outlined in the purchase agreement. Unilever is no longer supportive of the Ben and Jerry’s advocating for progressive causes like Black Lives Matter, Diversity Equity and Inclusion and ending the war in Israel as made apparent through the most recent CEO, David Stever being fired for supporting these causes through the brand.
Unilever purchased the brand in year 2000 in a $326 million deal on the condition that an independent board was to oversee and support the social advocacy that Ben and Jerry’s stands for. Cohen wants to be set free from this deal as there have been numerous counts of the parent company being unsupportive towards their pro-peace efforts. A notable public instance of this disagreement was displayed when Ben and Jerry’s stopped selling their ice cream in highly Israeli populated areas and Unilever was furious at the loss of revenue from discontinuing sales in these locations. The act of firing the current CEO for his activist efforts was Cohen’s final straw in this ongoing fight.
Ben and Jerry’s is proud of their social justice mission because it sets them apart from other ice cream brands. They are selling sweet treats for world peace and support many communities in need through charitable donations, funded by the Ben and Jerry’s Foundation. The public disputes between the parent company and the well-known ice cream brand is not the ideal media that Ben and Jerry’s wants to be producing, but it is displaying to the world that they will stand behind their cause despite their parent company’s disapproval. The authenticity shown through the fight is great for Ben and Jerry’s brand image. Unilever has firmly stated that the ice cream brand is not for sale, however with the breach of the contract made in 2000, it is going to be a court’s decision whether the company is upholding the values of the brand to the correct standard.
Contact Payton at costenpa@shu.edu