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Ben Cohen, co-founder of ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s, said Unilever, the company’s parent firm, blocked the launch of a new flavor meant to express “solidarity with Palestine.”
Cohen announced he will independently produce the flavor as part of a personal series highlighting topics the company was prevented from publicly addressing.
Ben & Jerry’s is widely known for its social activism and outspoken stance on political, environmental, and humanitarian issues, including the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Cohen’s statement has further deepened the long-running dispute between the founders and Unilever, which has owned Ben & Jerry’s since 2000.
The founders have accused Unilever and its subsidiary brands, including Magnum, of unlawfully preventing the company from fulfilling its “social mission.”
In a video posted on Instagram on Tuesday, Cohen revealed he had developed a new watermelon-flavored sorbet and invited followers to suggest names and ingredients.
The watermelon, symbolizing the colors of the Palestinian flag—red, green, black and white—has become a widely recognized emblem of solidarity with Palestinians.
The American entrepreneur said Unilever had stopped Ben & Jerry’s from producing the flavor.
In September, Jerry Greenfield, the company’s other co-founder, left Ben & Jerry’s after expressing concern that Unilever’s restrictions on its social activism threatened the brand’s independence.
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