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One of the original creators of the famous frozen dessert company Ben & Jerry's has announced that parent company Unilever prevented the launch of a new pro-Palestinian frozen dessert product.

Ben Cohen, that co-founded the company with Jerry Greenfield, announced how he plans to independently develop this new flavor as part of an individual series highlighting issues Ben & Jerry's was barred from speaking out about.

Longstanding Dispute Between Founders and Corporate Owner

This latest development escalates the continuing disagreement between the world-famous dessert company with its corporate parent, the UK-based consumer goods corporation which has owned the ice cream brand for over two decades.

Both founders maintain how Unilever along with its ice cream arm Magnum unlawfully blocked Ben & Jerry's against "honouring its social mission".

The Fruit Sorbet becoming a Symbol for Solidarity

The entrepreneur stated through social media how he is creating an innovative watermelon-based frozen dessert, asking for public suggestions regarding naming options plus potential ingredients.

“I'm doing what they couldn't,” Mr. Cohen commented from his kitchen. “I'm creating a watermelon-flavored ice cream that advocates for lasting ceasefire in Palestine and calls for addressing the harm that occurred in the region.”

The watermelon has emerged as a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian people because of its colors, that mirror the colors in the Palestinian flag – red, green, black and white.

Previous Activism and Recent Developments

In 2021, the ice cream company refused to sell their merchandise in territories occupied by Israel, leading to the parent company selling the Israeli operation to a local licensee, thereby permitting continued sales in disputed territories.

The new dessert series will be created through Mr. Cohen's personal brand, the activist ice cream brand which originally created in 2016 to support former US presidential candidate Senator Sanders via the flavor "Bernie's Return".

Management Shifts plus Future Intentions

The founder stated how he plans to create additional frozen dessert varieties focusing on issues that Ben & Jerry's was silenced from speaking about openly due to Unilever.

This development follows partner Jerry Greenfield resigned his position at the company in September, following many years of involvement, mentioning worries regarding how its independence was undermined following corporate moves to curb their advocacy work.

Previously, Mr. Cohen commented that “My partner has a really big heart and this conflict with our parent company was deeply distressing him."

"My heart compels me to continue to work inside the company to fight for its independence ensuring that the company can achieve its ethical purpose, the values that it was founded on and has maintained for decades," he told media outlets.

• Corporate owner limitations regarding social activism
• Independent flavor creation from original creators
• Watermelon flavor serving as social statement
• Ongoing disagreements among corporate ownership versus social mission