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One of the co-founders behind the well-known ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has announced how parent company Unilever prevented the launch for a new pro-Palestinian ice cream flavor.

Ben Cohen, that established the company with his partner, disclosed that he plans to personally create this new flavor as part of an individual collection highlighting causes Ben & Jerry's was barred from speaking out about.

Longstanding Dispute Between Founders versus Parent Company

The recent development escalates the continuing tension among the world-famous ice cream maker with Unilever, the UK-based packaged goods corporation that has owned Ben & Jerry's for over two decades.

Both founders have asserted that Unilever and its ice cream arm the Magnum brand unlawfully blocked their company against "fulfilling its ethical commitments".

The Fruit Flavor becoming an Emblem for Support

The entrepreneur stated via social media that he is creating an innovative watermelon-flavored sorbet, asking for consumer ideas for the product's name plus additional components.

“I'm doing what they couldn't,” the founder stated from a cooking set. “I'm making a watermelon-flavored frozen dessert that advocates for permanent peace for Palestinians and calls for repairing the damage that occurred in the region.”

The watermelon has become an emblem of support for Palestinians due to its colors, that mirror those of the Palestinian flag – the distinctive four-color pattern.

Previous Activism and Current Changes

In 2021, Ben & Jerry's ceased sales of their merchandise in areas under Israeli control, leading to Unilever selling the Israeli operation to an Israeli distributor, thus allowing ongoing distribution within the occupied West Bank.

The new product line is being developed under Mr. Cohen's personal brand, the activist dessert company which was first created in 2016 to support ex- political contender Senator Sanders with the product "Bernie's Back".

Leadership Changes plus Future Intentions

The founder revealed that he will create other frozen dessert varieties that address concerns that Ben & Jerry's was silenced from addressing publicly due to Unilever.

The announcement follows co-founder Jerry Greenfield stepped down his position at the company recently, after decades with the organization, citing concerns regarding how its independence had been compromised following Unilever's decision to curb their advocacy work.

Previously, Ben Cohen remarked how "Jerry has strong compassion and this conflict with Unilever was deeply distressing him."

"My heart compels me to continue to work within the organization to advocate for corporate autonomy so that it can fulfill the social mission, the principles which established its foundation while upholding for decades," he told journalists.

• Parent company limitations regarding political advocacy
• Independent flavor creation from company founders
• Watermelon flavor as political symbol
• Ongoing disagreements among parent company versus ethical values