Jerry Greenfield, who co-founded legendary ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's with Ben Cohen almost 50 years ago, has made the "painful" decision to split away from the company. The businessman and activist announced his departure via a statement shared by his co-founder on Twitter (now X) on Tuesday night, which detailed his decision to leave the company in light of what he claims is a loss of independence to continue to pursue the brand's mission of supporting "peace, justice, and human rights" under Unilever's ownership.
"It's with a broken heart that I'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 I've ever made," his statement began. "This isn't because I'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."
Read on for everything we know about his departure, Ben & Jerry's stated mission, and its co-founders net worth.
© GettyBen & Jerry's net worth
Though there is no concrete, public evidence to substantiate an accurate net worth for Jerry, some reports estimate it to be between $145 and $150 million, and the same estimate goes for Ben, who he met in seventh-grade gym class in Merrick, New York, on Long Island, in 1963.
In 2000, 22 years after Ben & Jerry's was founded in Burlington, Vermont, Ben & Jerry's was sold to Unilever for $326 million, and today, along with Magnum, it forms the core of an $8 billion individual firm for Unilever dedicated to its ice cream brands.
© GettyJerry's statement
Much of Jerry's decision and the statement itself concerned itself with his dissatisfaction in how the company, long known not only for its delicious and inventive ice cream flavors but also for its steadfast activism, has been "silenced." Most recently, both the co-founders and the company itself, through its social media accounts, have been outspoken about Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, which on September 16 an independent United Nations inquiry ruled a genocide.
"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," Jerry further explained in his statement.
© Getty ImagesHe maintained: "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 LGBTQ 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."
© Getty"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," Jerry concluded.
