Ben and Jerry's: Having Their Ice Cream and Eating it Too
- Fred
- Apr 18
- 4 min read
When I was a younger man, I was grateful for any ice cream that my parents bought me. I didn't care if it was the small cup with a wooden spoon, I would eat it and chirp up "thank you Mother, may I have another?"
But when I became an adult, I formed a more discerning pallet.
Now I'm not talking about soft-serve, that's a different category. But when it comes to store bought ice cream, there was none better than Ben and Jerry's.
As a matter of fact, here's the free plug. These are the best 3 Grocery Store Ice Creams I have ever eaten:
Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Ben and Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake
Ben and Jerry's American Apple Pie (Discontinued)
Ben and Jerry's is so popular, they have their own fan club, the Flavor Fanatics.
Then what the hell's my problem?
Ben and Jerry's considered themselves a 2 pronged brand: Ice Cream and Activism.
Ben and Jerry's was founded as a single ice cream parlor in Burlington, Vermont back in 1978. Their secret? Traditional ice cream flavors mixed with yummy desserts.
Right from the start, the company was socially active, but I never ate one bite of their ice cream because of their corporate philosophies, not one.
I don't want to get bogged down here, dissecting each and every one of their causes, but it's suffice to say that, generally, their activism fell in line with the average Liberal, White-Male, Boomer.
If you don't trust my interpretation, here's the list.
Now don't get me wrong, at the beginning, Ben and Jerry's was a real American Success Story, a good idea coupled with hard work. They started out small, making the best ice cream around, then became a regional powerhouse in around 20 years.
In the year 2000, the company was sold "to the British multinational conglomerate Unilever but continued to be operated as an independent subsidiary." How much did Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield sell for? $325 million. Here's the caveat though, they got to continue in their roles while Unilever focused on growing the ice cream distribution.
By 2010, Ben and Jerry's had gone Hollywood and had corporate tie-ins with over a dozen celebrities.
Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream Ice Cream continues to be one of the brand's best sellers. Now under the Unilever umbrella, Ben and Jerry's, the ice cream, continued its winning streak and Ben and Jerry, themselves, continued to be socially active, with only a few corporate related grumbles over the years.
Then, in 2024, Unilever spun off Ben and Jerry's and created the Magnum Ice Cream Company. Magnum, almost right from the start, treated Ben and Jerry, the individuals, poorly. Their attitude was that Ben and Jerry had all kind of perks and independence clauses with Unilever, but not with the new entity. Magnum blocked Ben and Jerry's company accounts and prevented them from posting about things like the situation in Gaza.
Magnum curtailed Ben and Jerry's social activism so much that in 2025, Jerry Greenfield left the company in protest. This week, Ben Cohen called on Magnum to sell Ben and Jerry's, the ice cream company, to a group of socially-minded investors, like Cohen and Greenfield.
At this point, I was really confused. If Cohen still works for Magnum, why can't he just keep doing want he's been doing? Apparently when Magnum spun off from Unilever, Cohen no longer had a role. What do I mean? According to the Boston.com, "Cohen is still a paid employee of the company, but said he has no authority or responsibilities."
Look's like Ben and Jerry, the individuals, got the corporate screw-job. It also appears that Magnum wanted to get rid of the social activism without giving up the ice cream. Ben and Jerry, the businessmen, now have to decide if they want to spend the next decade in court.
Cohen, who is now in his mid-70's, seems desperate to keep his politics in the mix, claiming "Magnum is destroying the heart and the soul of Ben & Jerry’s and have neutered the social mission."
My counter argument would be: Hey Ben Cohen, you're worried about not being able to post about Gaza? You should be worried about your Ice Cream now tasting like every other brand.
What do I mean by that? Last month I went to the Speedway at the end of the street. I was by the freezer bin and stared at the Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough Ice Cream. It was $8 for the pint, and since 2024, I have been complaining to my wife that Ben and Jerry's, the ice cream company, changed the formula. Despite having over 90 flavors, I had my choice of 3, and each was covered in freezer burn.
After lingering longingly for an inordinate amount of time, I decided against being disappointed again and bought a Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream bar. They've tasted the same for as long as I remember.
So as I read about Ben Cohen raging against the dying of the light, it was hard for me to have any sympathy for him. How much is he getting paid to do nothing?
And I can't end this article without saying this, every single line I wrote here reminded me of this Bloom County Cartoon from 1983 that aged like a fine wine.
The corporate tools at Magnum moved Cohen and Greenfield to the door, betting that they're too old to start over.
Welcome to the Americone, I mean, American Dream.
Comments