Jerry Greenfield is an American businessman, philanthropist, and co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. Born in 1951 to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, he co-founded the ice cream company with his best friend since junior high, Ben Cohen, in 1978, establishing a business model that integrated progressive social activism into corporate operations.
As Ben & Jerry’s grew into an international brand, Greenfield helped anchor the company’s social mission, supporting environmental sustainability, civil rights organizations, and international peace campaigns. Following the company’s acquisition by multinational conglomerate Unilever in 2000, Greenfield and Cohen negotiated a unique corporate arrangement that preserved an Independent Board of Directors responsible for safeguarding Ben & Jerry’s social mission and political advocacy.
Greenfield has consistently supported nonviolent resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and opposed Israeli settlement expansion in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In July 2021, when Ben & Jerry’s Independent Board decided to end sales of its products in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Unilever faced severe backlash and tried to override the decision. Greenfield and Cohen co-authored an op-ed in The New York Times defending the boycott, writing: “As Jewish founders of this ice cream company, we believe this decision is not anti-Semitic; rather, it is a manifestation of the Jewish moral values we were raised with.“
2025 Events and Unilever Conflict
In 2025, amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, tension between Ben & Jerry’s Independent Board and parent company Unilever escalated into a major corporate legal and ethical clash. The Independent Board planned to release a limited-edition watermelon-themed sorbet symbolizing peace and calling for an immediate ceasefire, with sales proceeds intended for Palestinian humanitarian relief and civil rights organizations.
Fearing corporate boycotts and political retaliation, Unilever exercised its corporate veto to block the production and distribution of the flavor. The decision drew condemnation from both founders, who accused Unilever of breaching the original 2000 acquisition agreement regarding the independence of the company’s social mission.
In protest against Unilever’s repeated interference in the brand’s peace advocacy, Greenfield resigned from his legacy role at the company after nearly five decades. Following the block, Cohen independently produced and distributed the watermelon-themed sorbet under his separate venture, “Ben’s Best”.