The co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s has launched a bid to buy back the brand in a move that would derail Unilever’s ice cream demerger.
Unilever wants to spin off the ice cream arm, which also includes Magnum and Cornetto, with a stock market listing in Amsterdam by the end of 2025.
But Ben Cohen is trying to line up investors to buy Ben & Jerry’s, which he set up with his friend Jerry Greenfield in 1978.
Unilever has long had a tense relationship with Ben & Jerry’s, which is outspoken on social and political issues.
Investors in Unilever, which owns Dove deodorant and Hellmann’s mayonnaise, have urged it to dial down its ‘woke’ messaging and focus on boosting sales.
But Ben & Jerry’s has insisted on continuing its campaigning.
Founder: Ben Cohen is trying to line-up investors to buy Ben & Jerry’s, which he set up with his friend Jerry Greenfield in 1978
The brand was bought for £251million in 2000, with the agreement that it would be managed by an independent board.
‘In the year 2000, Unilever loved us for who we were,’ Cohen told the Wall Street Journal.
‘Now we’ve gone separate ways in our relationship. We just need them to set us free.’
A Unilever spokesman said: ‘Ben & Jerry’s, as a key part of the demerging ice cream business, is not for sale.’
It is planning to name the new division the Magnum Ice Cream Company.
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