By Dimple Singh

Copyright timesnownews

Jerry Greenfield, who co-founded the iconic ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s with his childhood friend Ben Cohen, announced that he is stepping down from the company after nearly five decades. Greenfield said his decision was “painful” but necessary, as he believes the brand has lost its independence under Unilever’s ownership. The announcement came through a statement shared by Cohen on X on Tuesday evening. Greenfield said that he could no longer, “in good conscience,” remain an employee of the company he helped build in 1978. Why Did Jerry Greenfield Quit Company? “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,” Greenfield said. “This is one of the hardest and most painful decisions I’ve ever made. 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,” he said. Greenfield said that his departure is not about losing passion for ice cream or the community behind the brand, but about a struggle to uphold the company’s founding values. He said that under Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s has lost the freedom to fully pursue its mission of supporting peace, justice, and human rights. Jerry Greenfield’s Net Worth Ben & Jerry’s has long been known not only for its creative flavours but also for its outspoken social and political activism. Recently, the company’s social media accounts, along with statements from Cohen and Greenfield, criticized Israel’s war in Gaza. On September 16, a United Nations investigation declared the conflict a genocide, further fueling the co-founders’ activism. Ben & Jerry’s began in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont, with a small scoop shop. The company grew rapidly, and in 2000, it was sold to consumer goods giant Unilever for $326 million. Today, Ben & Jerry’s, along with Magnum, forms the backbone of Unilever’s $8 billion ice cream business. Although there have been reports that Greenfield’s net worth is between $145 million and $150 million, there is no publicly verified information to confirm this figure. Both he and Cohen, who first met in a seventh-grade gym class in Merrick, New York, became household names as their brand became one of the world’s most recognizable ice cream companies. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World.