Posted on 09/17/2025 11:27:18 AM PDT by Red Badger
Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's, has resigned because the company they sold to back in 2000, Unilever, doesn't want them to be woke anymore.
I have to give you the full text because it's hilarious. Grab your popcorn.
It's with a broken heart that l've decided I can no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee of Ben & Jerry's. I am resigning from the company Ben and I started back in 1978. This is one of the hardest and most painful decisions l've ever made.
This isn't because l've lost my love for the people at Ben & Jerry's. Quite the opposite.
The folks who show up every day in our factories, scoop shops, and offices are some of the most passionate, caring, and values-driven people you'll ever meet. They are the soul of Ben & Jerry's.
What has made their work so important to me, and what allowed the company to be more than just an ice cream company, was the independence to pursue our values, which was guaranteed when Unilever bought the company. For more than twenty years under their ownership, Ben & Jerry's stood up and spoke out in support of peace, justice, and human rights, not as abstract concepts, but in relation to real events happening in our world.
That independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement Ben and I negotiated with Unilever, one that enshrined our social mission and values in the company's governance structure in perpetuity. It's profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone.
And it's happening at a time when our country's current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women, and the LGBT community.
Standing up for the values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important, and yet Ben & Jerry's has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power. It's easy to stand up and speak out when there's nothing at risk. The real test of values is when times are challenging and you have something to lose.
Love, equity, justice. They're part of who Ben and I are, and they've always been the true foundation of Ben & Jerry's. From the very beginning, Ben and I believed that our values and the pursuit of justice were more important than the company itself. If the company couldn't stand up for the things we believed, then it wasn't worth being a company at all.
It was always about more than just ice cream; it was a way to spread love and invite others into the fight for equity, justice and a better world. Coming to the conclusion that this is no longer possible at Ben & Jerry's means I can no longer remain part of Ben & Jerry's. If I can't carry those values forward inside the company today, then I will carry them forward outside, with all the love and conviction I can.
With love,
Jerry
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I hope they hire a guy named Dover to replace him. I’m working on the new logo in case it happens.
The two old Bolshies are getting ready to croak on their own anyway. Their party is over.
Good riddance to some very bad evil rubbish!
Spare me. What did this narcissistic dope want to speak up about that they silenced him on? To create a Donald Trump ice cream flavor? Or did he want to celebrate the murder of Charlie Kirk and Unilever said no?
One more retirement and I can go back to eating Ben & Jerry’s cherry ice cream. Waiting...
That would be the customers who stopped buying the product.
Customers hold the ultimate power and THEY spoke loudly...and were heard.
More here:
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4341030/posts
Will they have ‘jerry cherry tear’ flavored ice cream?
Think I'd better wait a while and see...
Regards,
Can I ask a stupid question?
Why did they sell their brand? Did Ben and Jerry become very wealthy in selling?
Just saying, if they had never sold, they would be in control, and be able to make all the political statements they desire. If they still owned the brand.
So why did they sell, if its so damn important to make political statements, as opposed to just selling their products?
Unilever has been trying to get rid of his ass for years, But when they bought the company they got stuck contractually agreeing to keep him on in an “advisory” capacity which apparently he took to mean whining. Congrats, Unilever
So the hippies get put to sleep for good?
I can now eat Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream without the politics.............
YES. then years later offered to buy it back as they got into a spat with Unilever.
Buh bye....
In April 2000, Ben & Jerry’s sold itself to British multinational food giant Unilever for $326 million ($607 million in 2025 accounting for inflation).
I’m a little surprised no one else saw what you did there. LOL
Always refused to buy their commy crap.
Bought haggen das instead
Eat dirt, Jerry.
Pretty funny he was happy to take the money when he sold the company. Frankly Unilever should’ve done this within 24 months of buying the company. They hurt their own brand by keeping him and the other idiot on board.
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