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One of the co-founders behind the well-known ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has announced how corporate owner Unilever prevented the launch for a new pro-Palestinian frozen dessert product.

Ben Cohen, who established the company alongside Jerry Greenfield, announced how he plans to personally create this new product as part of a personal collection showcasing issues the company has been prevented from addressing publicly.

Ongoing Conflict Between Creators versus Corporate Owner

The recent development escalates the ongoing tension among the world-famous ice cream maker and Unilever, the UK-based packaged goods giant that has owned the ice cream brand since 2000.

Both founders have asserted that Unilever along with its ice cream arm Magnum unlawfully blocked Ben & Jerry's from "fulfilling its ethical commitments".

Watermelon Sorbet as a Symbol for Support

The entrepreneur revealed through social media that he is creating a new watermelon-flavored frozen dessert, asking for consumer ideas regarding naming options and potential ingredients.

“I'm doing what they were prevented from doing,” Mr. Cohen commented in a cooking set. “I'm creating a watermelon-based ice cream that calls for permanent peace in Palestine and calls for addressing the harm that was done there.”

The watermelon has emerged as an emblem of solidarity with the Palestinian people due to its coloration, that match the colors in Palestine's national banner – red, green, black and white.

Historical Activism plus Recent Changes

In 2021, the ice cream company refused to sell its products in territories under Israeli control, leading to the parent company transferring the Israeli operation over to a local licensee, thus allowing ongoing distribution within the occupied West Bank.

The new dessert series will be developed under Ben's Best, the activist dessert company that was first established several years back to support ex- US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders via the flavor "Bernie's Return".

Leadership Shifts and Future Plans

The founder revealed how he plans to create other frozen dessert varieties that address issues that Ben & Jerry's was silenced from speaking about openly due to corporate restrictions.

This development comes after co-founder Jerry Greenfield resigned from the company in September, following many years of involvement, mentioning worries that its independence was compromised after corporate moves to curb their advocacy work.

At that time, Mr. Cohen stated that "Jerry has strong compassion and this conflict with our parent company was breaking it."

"My heart leads me to continue to work inside the company to fight for its independence ensuring that the company can actualise its ethical purpose, the values which it was founded on and has maintained for decades," he explained to journalists.

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