The ice cream brand's Founding Partner Claims Parent Company Halted Palestine-Themed Frozen Dessert Product

The co-founders behind the famous frozen dessert company Ben & Jerry's has claimed that parent company Unilever prevented the launch for an innovative pro-Palestinian frozen dessert product.

Ben Cohen, that co-founded the company alongside Jerry Greenfield, disclosed how he plans to personally create the controversial product as part of a personal collection highlighting issues the company was prevented from speaking out about.

Ongoing Dispute Involving Creators versus Parent Company

The recent announcement intensifies the ongoing disagreement between the world-famous dessert company with Unilever, the British consumer goods corporation that has owned Ben & Jerry's for over two decades.

Both founders have asserted how the parent company and its ice cream arm Magnum improperly prevented their company against "fulfilling its ethical commitments".

Watermelon Sorbet becoming a Symbol for Solidarity

The entrepreneur announced through social media how he is creating an innovative watermelon-flavored sorbet, asking for public suggestions for the product's name and additional components.

“I'm doing what they were prevented from doing,” the founder stated from a cooking set. “I'm making a watermelon-based ice cream that advocates for lasting ceasefire in Palestine and calls for addressing the harm that was done there.”

The watermelon has become a symbol of support for the Palestinian people because of its colors, that match the colors in Palestine's national banner – the distinctive four-color pattern.

Previous Activism plus Recent Developments

In 2021, the ice cream company ceased sales of their merchandise in territories occupied by Israel, resulting in the parent company transferring their Israel business over to an Israeli distributor, thus allowing continued sales in disputed territories.

The new product line will be created through Mr. Cohen's personal brand, the activist ice cream brand which originally established several years back for endorsing ex- US presidential candidate Senator Sanders via the product "Bernie's Back".

Leadership Changes and Upcoming Plans

Mr. Cohen revealed that he will develop additional frozen dessert varieties that address issues that Ben & Jerry's was prevented from speaking about openly due to corporate restrictions.

The announcement comes after co-founder Mr. Greenfield resigned his position at Ben & Jerry's in September, after many years of involvement, citing worries that its independence had been undermined after corporate moves to restrict its social activism.

At that time, Ben Cohen commented how “My partner has strong compassion and the ongoing dispute with Unilever was breaking it."

“My conscience leads me to continue to work within the organization to advocate for its independence ensuring that the company can actualise the social mission, the principles which established its foundation while upholding for over 40 years," he told journalists.

• Parent company restrictions regarding social activism
• Independent flavor creation by company founders
• The fruit-based product serving as social statement
• Continuing tensions between parent company and ethical values