Ben & Jerry’s Founders Consider Reclaiming Brand from Unilever

The ice cream company’s co-founders are exploring a potential buyback as tensions with parent company Unilever persist over social mission conflicts.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the founders of Ben & Jerry’s, are reportedly in early discussions to buy back their brand from Unilever, which they sold in 2000 for $326 million.
The founders are said to be seeking socially conscious investors to help fund the potential multibillion-dollar acquisition, though no formal deal has been confirmed.
Tensions between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever have escalated in recent years, particularly over the ice cream brand’s stance on selling products in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and other social justice issues.
Unilever has stated that its ice cream business, which includes Ben & Jerry’s, is not for sale but is being spun off into a separate publicly traded entity as part of a cost-cutting initiative.
The planned demerger of Unilever’s ice cream division, including brands like Magnum and Breyers, is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, with listings in Amsterdam, London, and New York.