Ben & Jerry’s, the ice cream brand that has been in the hands of multinational Unilever since 2000, is “not for sale”, Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez announced during a press conference. Out of dissatisfaction with the Unilever race, the founders showed an interest in buying the brand back.
According to the CEO, Ben & Jerry’s will remain an important brand name in the ice division that Unilever is planning to split up soon. “The split -off and stock exchange listing of the ice division is still the option that we think gives the most value for shareholders,” Fernandez said. The Magnum Ice Cream Company, which will also fall Cornetto, will continue as an independent company from 1 July.
Unilever and founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield have been living at odds for years. Earlier this week Reuters wrote that Unilever has threatened to stop his annual contribution of 5 million dollars to Ben & Jerry’s Foundation. Fernandez denied that there was a threat, but he called it good policies to want to investigate what money is spent on.
Last month the duo filed a complaint against Unilever because David Stever, the CEO of the brand, would have been fired for his support for the activism of Ben & Jerry’s. That would go against the agreement that the founders closed in 2000 with Unilever.
In 2022, Ben & Jerry’s Unilever sued for blocking his attempts to put the sale of ice in the West Bank occupied by Israel. The ice brand also states that Unilever’s attempts to support Palestinian refugees has been thwarted.
The multinational announced its quarterly figures on Thursday: the company saw its sales rise more than expected in the first quarter, thanks to higher prices now that raw materials are becoming more expensive.