The ice cream brand's Co-Founder Alleges Unilever Halted Palestine-Themed Ice Cream Product

The co-founders behind the famous ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has announced how corporate owner the multinational conglomerate stopped the launch for a new Palestine-themed frozen dessert product.

The entrepreneur, who established the company alongside Jerry Greenfield, disclosed how he will personally create the controversial product as part of a personal collection highlighting issues Ben & Jerry's has been barred from addressing publicly.

Ongoing Dispute Between Founders versus Parent Company

This latest development escalates the ongoing tension among the internationally recognized dessert company and Unilever, the British packaged goods giant that has owned the ice cream brand since 2000.

Both founders have claimed that the parent company along with their ice cream division the Magnum brand improperly prevented their company against "honouring its social mission".

Watermelon Sorbet as an Emblem for Support

The entrepreneur revealed through an Instagram video how he is creating a new watermelon-flavored frozen dessert, requesting public suggestions regarding naming options and additional components.

“I'm doing what they couldn't,” the founder commented from his kitchen. “I'm making a watermelon-based ice cream that calls for lasting ceasefire for Palestinians while demanding addressing the harm that occurred in the region.”

The watermelon has emerged as a symbol for support for the Palestinian people due to its coloration, which mirror the colors in Palestine's national banner – red, green, black and white.

Previous Social Engagement plus Recent Developments

Several years ago, Ben & Jerry's refused to sell its products in territories occupied by Israel, resulting in the parent company selling the Israeli operation over to an Israeli distributor, thus allowing continued sales in the occupied West Bank.

The new dessert series is being created through Mr. Cohen's personal brand, the activist ice cream brand which was first created in 2016 to support ex- US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders via the product "Bernie's Back".

Management Shifts and Future Plans

The founder revealed how he plans to create other frozen dessert varieties focusing on issues that Ben & Jerry's was prevented from addressing publicly by corporate restrictions.

The announcement follows co-founder Jerry Greenfield resigned from the company recently, after decades with the organization, citing worries that the company's autonomy was compromised after corporate moves to restrict its social activism.

Previously, Mr. Cohen stated how "Jerry has strong compassion and the ongoing dispute with Unilever was breaking it."

"My heart leads me to keep working within the organization to fight for its independence ensuring that the company can achieve the social mission, the values that it was founded on while upholding for decades," he told media outlets.

• Parent company restrictions regarding political advocacy
• Independent flavor creation by original creators
• The fruit-based product as political symbol
• Continuing disagreements between parent company versus social mission