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Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen, the co-founders of the renowned ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s, have left a lasting mark on the dessert industry over the past five decades. However, Greenfield revealed on Wednesday that he is departing the company for “painful” causes. In a statement expressed by Cohen on Twitter (now X) on Tuesday evening, Greenfield shared that his decision comes from what he views as a loss of independence under Unilever, preventing him from continuing the brand’s focus to aid “peace, justice, and human rights.”

Greenfield’s Statement on His Departure

“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,” Greenfield cited. “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.”

Background and Net Worth

Greenfield, alongside Cohen, founded Ben & Jerry’s in Burlington, Vermont, in 1978. They initially met each other in seventh-grade gym class in Merrick, New York, in 1963. Twenty-two years following the establishment of the company, Unilever got the brand for $326 million in 2000. Today, Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum form the foundation of Unilever’s $8 billion ice cream portfolio. Reports suggest that Greenfield’s net worth in 2025 to be between $145 and $150 million, though no official confirmation is made public.

Reasons for Leaving

Greenfield’s resignation shows growing friction between the company’s social goal and corporate oversight. Recognized for its creative ice cream flavors and advocacy, Ben & Jerry’s has recently taken public stand on global problems, that includes Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza. An impartial United Nations investigation on September 16 divided the conflict as genocide, a role that the company and its co-founders have vocally aided on social media. Greenfield’s dissatisfaction with the company’s limitations under Unilever played a major role in his decision to leave.

FAQs:

Q1. Who is Jerry Greenfield?
Jerry Greenfield is the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, the popular ice cream brand that began in 1978 with Ben Cohen.

Q2. Why did Jerry Greenfield resign?
He mentioned “painful” reasons, describing he could no longer work under Unilever’s ownership while pursuing the brand’s goal for “peace, justice, and human rights.”