{"id":2408316,"date":"2025-03-01T12:01:01","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T17:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/woke-ben-jerrys-founders-get-rude-awakening-after-discovering-the-brands-real-owner-is-dumping-politics\/"},"modified":"2025-03-01T12:03:11","modified_gmt":"2025-03-01T17:03:11","slug":"woke-ben-jerrys-founders-get-rude-awakening-after-discovering-the-brands-real-owner-is-dumping-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/woke-ben-jerrys-founders-get-rude-awakening-after-discovering-the-brands-real-owner-is-dumping-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Woke Ben &#038; Jerry&#8217;s Founders Get Rude Awakening After Discovering the Brand\u2019s Real Owner Is Dumping Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwoke-ben-jerrys-founders-get-rude-awakening-after-discovering-the-brands-real-owner-is-dumping-politics%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2408316&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The founders \u2064of Ben &#038; Jerry&#8217;s,Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield,are considering repurchasing the iconic ice \u2063cream brand from its parent company,Unilever,due to frustrations over Unilever&#8217;s limitations on the company&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesotas-new-social-studies-curriculum-would-racialize-first-graders-teach-high-schoolers-about-the-evils-of-whiteness-capitalism-and-christianity\/\" title=\"Minnesota\u2019s New Social Studies Curriculum Would Racialize First-Graders, Teach High Schoolers About The Evils Of \u2018Whiteness, Capitalism, And Christianity\u2019\">social justice activism<\/a>. Since selling the\u2064 brand for $326 million in \u200c2000, Cohen and \u2064Greenfield have expressed discontent with Unilever&#8217;s decision to prevent critiques of political figures, such as Donald Trump, and have previously clashed over issues\u2063 like the company\u2019s stance on sales in\u200d the West bank. Following these recent tensions,the founders are reportedly discussing potential partnerships with progressive financiers \u200bto buy back the brand,which generated nearly\u200d $9 billion\u200b in sales last year. Though, Unilever has stated that Ben &#038; Jerry&#8217;s is not for sale and plans to separate its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ben-and-jerry-still-fighting-to-keep-their-ice-cream-from-fellow-jews-in-israel\/\" title=\"Ben And Jerry Still Fighting To Keep Their Ice Cream From Fellow Jews In Israel\">ice cream business<\/a> through a demerger. This situation highlights broader themes of corporate activism and consumer values in today&#8217;s political climate, showcasing the challenges brands face when\u200c attempting to balance\u200b political identity with mass-market appeal.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The founders of the iconic Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ice-cream-brand-discreetly-changed-name-of-flavor-after-questions-raised-over-possibly-racist-origin\/\" title=\"Ice Cream ... Discreetly Changed Name Of Flavor After Questions Raised Over Possibly Racist Origin\">ice cream brand<\/a> may want to buy back the business they started decades ago as parent company Unilever stifles its <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">trademark social justice activism<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield sold the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/leftists-run-city-second-thoughts-defunded-police-mistake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vermont<\/a> business in 2000 to Unilever at a $326 million price point, but Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s filed a complaint earlier in February claiming that Unilever was blocking them from engaging in progressive causes, according to a Wednesday <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/02\/26\/business\/ben-amp-jerrys-founders-seek-to-buy-back-ice-cream-company-as-parent-corp-pulls-reigns-on-expressions-of-lefty-politics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a> from the New York Post.<\/p>\n<p>That includes the conglomerate halting criticisms of President Donald Trump on social media.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s not the first time Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s has feuded with its owner over political issues.<\/p>\n<p>Back in 2021, the company vowed to halt sales in the West Bank, but Unilever overrode the move.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s filed another lawsuit at the time, claiming that Unilever was violating the independence of its corporate board, a component of the original sale in 2000.<\/p>\n<p>Amid the renewed controversy, Cohen and Greenfield have voiced interest in repurchasing the company, according to another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2025-02-26\/ben-jerry-s-founders-discuss-buying-back-brand-from-unilever?embedded-checkout=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a> from Bloomberg.<\/p>\n<p>The duo has entertained some talks about buying back the firm, and they want to partner with other progressive financiers.<\/p>\n<p>They would have to pool enough cash to buy back a business which made almost $9 billion in sales last year, per the Post.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for Unilever told Bloomberg that &ldquo;Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s is an important part of the ice cream business, and it&rsquo;s not for sale.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Unilever is instead &ldquo;on track to separate the ice cream business by way of a demerger.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>This feud actually presents an interesting case study into the dynamics surrounding wokeness, corporate activism, and the recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/starbucks-learns-lesson-reverses-policy-implemented-appease-woke-mob\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rightward trend<\/a> of our broader national culture.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s not impossible for a brand to carve out a niche in the marketplace by having distinct political views.<\/p>\n<p>In the same way that a lot of conservatives choose not to buy from Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s, a lot of progressives have no intention to buy from MyPillow or Hobby Lobby.<\/p>\n<p>But all three of those businesses do well with the specific niches they target. After all, people like to buy from companies that represent and honor their values.<\/p>\n<p>The issue seems to come into play when a brand based on a specific political identity tries to be both a distinctly political brand and a brand with mass-market appeal.<\/p>\n<p>Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s wants more politics and less mass-market emphasis, but Unilever has proven over the past two decades that less politics and more mass-market emphasis from Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s is lucrative.<\/p>\n<p>We also live in a regulatory and cultural environment where wokeness is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/notoriously-woke-target-announces-dei-rollback-just-days-trumps-inauguration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">seen as toxic<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>There are simply less consumers who are attracted to brands that, for example, post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ben-jerrys-releases-cop-hating-ice-cream-flavor-honor-radical-dem\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">black squares<\/a> on their Instagram, and more consumers who want brands that are willing to voice an unvarnished love for America.<\/p>\n<p>That&rsquo;s the context in which Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s now exists.<\/p>\n<p>Let&rsquo;s just hope their business plan is no longer this Half Baked.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The founders of the renowned Ben &amp; Jerry&#8217;s ice cream brand are considering repurchasing the company they established years ago, as its parent company Unilever suppresses its well-known social justice initiatives. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield sold the Vermont-based business to Unilever in 2000 for $326 million. Recently, Ben &amp; Jerry&#8217;s filed a complaint alleging that Unilever is preventing them from participating in progressive causes, including stopping criticisms of former President Donald Trump on social media. This isn&#8217;t the first conflict between Ben &amp; Jerry&#8217;s and Unilever over political matters; in 2021, the ice cream company attempted to cease sales in the West Bank, but Unilever intervened. At that time, they also filed a lawsuit claiming that Unilever was infringing on their corporate board&#8217;s independence\u2014a key aspect of their original sale agreement. Amid this renewed tension, Cohen and Greenfield have expressed interest in buying back the company and are exploring partnerships with other progressive investors. They would need significant funds to reclaim a business that generated nearly $9 billion in sales last year. A spokesperson for Unilever stated that &#8220;Ben &amp; Jerry\u2019s is an important part of the ice cream business and it\u2019s not for sale,&#8221; adding that they plan to separate their ice cream division through a demerger instead. This situation highlights interesting dynamics regarding corporate activism and shifting cultural attitudes towards wokeness within our society today<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2408317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture-44.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[51346,33371,36456],"class_list":["post-2408316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-ben-jerrys","tag-business-news","tag-woke-culture"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Picture-44.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2408316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2408316"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2408316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2408320,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2408316\/revisions\/2408320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2408317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2408316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2408316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2408316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}