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The co-founders of the famous ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has announced that parent company Unilever blocked the introduction of a new pro-Palestinian ice cream flavor.

The entrepreneur, who co-founded the company alongside his partner, announced how he will personally create this new product as part of an individual series highlighting causes Ben & Jerry's was barred from speaking out about.

Longstanding Dispute Involving Founders versus Parent Company

This latest development deepens the continuing disagreement among the world-famous dessert company and its corporate parent, the British packaged goods giant that acquired the ice cream brand since 2000.

Both founders maintain how the parent company along with its ice cream arm the Magnum brand unlawfully blocked Ben & Jerry's against "maintaining its activist principles".

The Fruit Flavor as an Emblem for Solidarity

The entrepreneur announced via an Instagram video how he's developing an innovative watermelon-based sorbet, asking for consumer ideas for the product's name and additional components.

“I'm accomplishing what they were prevented from doing,” the founder declared from a cooking set. “I'm making a watermelon-flavored ice cream that calls for permanent peace in Palestine while demanding repairing the damage that occurred in the region.”

The watermelon has emerged as an emblem of solidarity with Palestinians due to its colors, which mirror the colors in Palestine's national banner – the distinctive four-color pattern.

Historical Activism and Recent Changes

In 2021, Ben & Jerry's ceased sales of its products in areas occupied by Israel, resulting in Unilever transferring the Israeli operation to an Israeli distributor, thereby permitting ongoing distribution in the occupied West Bank.

The new product line will be developed under Ben's Best, the socially conscious dessert company which was first created several years back to support ex- US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders with the product "Bernie's Back".

Leadership Changes and Upcoming Intentions

The founder stated that he plans to create other ice cream flavors focusing on concerns that the company was prevented from addressing publicly by corporate restrictions.

The announcement comes after partner Mr. Greenfield resigned from Ben & Jerry's recently, after decades with the organization, citing concerns that its independence had been undermined following Unilever's decision to restrict its social activism.

Previously, Mr. Cohen stated that "Jerry has a really big heart and the ongoing dispute with our parent company was deeply distressing him."

“My conscience leads me to keep working inside the company to fight for corporate autonomy ensuring that the company can achieve the social mission, the values which established its foundation while upholding for over 40 years," he explained to media outlets.

• Parent company limitations on social activism
• Independent product development from company founders
• Watermelon flavor as social statement
• Continuing tensions among corporate ownership versus ethical values