Ben & Jerry's Co-Founder Just Quit The Iconic Ice Cream Brand. Here's Why

Jerry is no longer a part of Ben & Jerry's. Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen founded their iconic ice cream company in 1978 and together the pair became world famous for their fun, unique flavors, quality products, and also their social conscience. The company has a long history of supporting social and political causes ranging from climate change to racial justice to responsible dairy sourcing. In a September 16, 2025 post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Ben broke the news that Jerry stepped down from the company.

The resignation letter was posted by Ben on his personal account. In it, Jerry made it clear that he still loves the company and the people who work there. His own passion came from being able to use his position to advocate for social justice and values that he and Ben instilled in the company. Jerry further noted that "the independence to pursue our values, which was guaranteed when Unilever bought the company" in 2000 was imperative to the sale — though now says "It's profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence ... is gone."

Jerry went on to say that "love, equity, and justice" are the "foundation" of the company — though "Ben and Jerry's has been silenced [and] sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power." He concludes that he feels he cannot carry the company's foundational values forward as part of the organization. For that reason, he has stepped down to pursue them independently.

One of the first statements Jerry Greenfield made in his resignation letter was that leaving Ben & Jerry's was "one of the hardest and most painful decisions" he had ever made. After 47 years and incredible success, it's not hard to imagine how difficult it must have been.

Rifts between Unilever and the ice cream giant became public in 2022 in a dispute over the sale of ice cream in Israel. In 2025, Unilever spun off its ice cream brands, including Ben & Jerry's, under the Magnum Ice Cream Company banner. It's unclear what else might have happened in the past few years that led Jerry to fully cut ties with the company. What his statement does make clear is that he believed the sale of the company to Unilever guaranteed their independence to pursue social missions as they saw fit without oversight from the consumer goods company. As noted, Greenfield no longer believes that is being honored.

Ben Cohen did not offer any insight into his own position going forward, though he has made no announcement that he plans to leave. His brief comment on X was that Jerry's "legacy deserves to be true to our values, not silenced by [Magnum Global]." What the future holds for Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, as well as their namesake company and its many flavors, remains unclear. While Jerry plans to focus on what he feels are the core values of the company since its founding, time will tell how that will come to be.