Ben & Jerry’s’ Founders Are No Longer Co-Workers Following Jerry Greenfield’s Resignation
The tasty ice cream brand's founders created the company in 1978.
Published Sept. 17 2025, 2:38 p.m. ET
Ice cream was always at the top of most foodies' guilty pleasures, but Ben & Jerry's elevated the delectable treat through its iconic brand. The company has been around since 1978, when its founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield launched it with the help of a $12,000 investment, which, according to its website, $4,000 of it was invested.
The company also expanded into creating vegan flavors in 2016, a move that other ice cream brands have since adopted. But, after 47 years of service, Ben and Jerry announced a surprising development. So, where are the founders now? Here's what to know.
Where are Ben & Jerry's' founders now?
Ben & Jerry's founders, Ben and Jerry, were going strong as business partners until September 2025. According to an X (formerly Twitter) post shared by Ben, Jerry decided to step away from the company.
"After 47 years, Jerry has made the difficult decision to step down from the company we built together," Ben wrote. "I’m sharing his words as he resigns from Ben & Jerry’s. His legacy deserves to be true to our values, not silenced."
In an open letter, the co-founder said he could no longer be employed by the company "in good conscience." Jerry added that his resignation from Ben & Jerry's had nothing to do with the role he played in the company or "lost my love" for the brand nor its employees. He said the decision came after Ben & Jerry's' parent company, Unilever, separated their ice cream businesses to be under the Magnum Ice Cream Company, with Ben & Jerry’s asking to be released from its ownership the week before Jerry's announcement.
The entrepreneur wrote that Unilever, who bought Ben & Jerry's in 2000, previously had the "independence to pursue our values, which was guaranteed when Unilever bought the company.” However, he said the freedom he and Ben previously had to discuss societal issues affecting the world was allegedly no longer the case under Univlever's umbrella.
"For more than twenty years under their ownership, Ben & Jerry’s stood up and spoke in support of peace, justice and human rights, not as abstract concepts but in relation to real events happening in our world,” Jerry wrote. "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 LGBTQ community."
Ben Cohen expressed his support of his co-founder amid his departure.
While Jerry added in his statement that his decision to leave the company was "one of the the hardest and most painful decisions" he's made. Nonetheless, he said he stood by it, noting the “real test of values" happens when a person has, “something to lose."
“Standing up for the values of justice, equity and our shared humanity has never been more important, yet Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power," Jerry's message continued. "It’s easy to stand up and speak out when there’s nothing at risk.”
While Ben didn't resign with his longtime business partner, he shared that he agreed with Jerry's stance by tagging Magnum in his caption, along with the hashtag "#FreeBenandJerrys."