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The co-founders behind the famous ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has stated that corporate owner Unilever blocked the launch for a new Palestine-themed ice cream flavor.

Ben Cohen, that co-founded the business with his partner, announced how he will independently develop this new product within a personal collection showcasing causes Ben & Jerry's has been prevented from addressing publicly.

Longstanding Conflict Involving Creators versus Parent Company

The recent announcement escalates the ongoing tension among the world-famous dessert company and Unilever, the British packaged goods giant that acquired the ice cream brand for over two decades.

The co-founders have claimed how Unilever and their ice cream division Magnum unlawfully blocked Ben & Jerry's from "honouring its social mission".

The Fruit Sorbet becoming an Emblem of Support

The entrepreneur revealed via an Instagram video how he is creating an innovative watermelon-flavored frozen dessert, requesting public suggestions regarding the product's name and potential ingredients.

“I'm doing what they were prevented from doing,” the founder declared in a cooking set. “I'm making a watermelon-based ice cream that advocates for permanent peace for Palestinians and calls for repairing the damage that occurred in the region.”

This particular fruit has become an emblem for solidarity with the Palestinian people due to its coloration, which match the colors in the Palestinian flag – red, green, black and white.

Previous Activism plus Recent Developments

Several years ago, the ice cream company ceased sales of their merchandise in areas under Israeli control, resulting in the parent company transferring their Israel business over to a local licensee, thus allowing continued sales in the occupied West Bank.

The new dessert series will be created through Mr. Cohen's personal brand, the activist ice cream brand that originally established in 2016 for endorsing former US presidential candidate Senator Sanders with the product "Bernie's Return".

Leadership Shifts plus Future Plans

Mr. Cohen indicated that he plans to create additional frozen dessert varieties that address issues which the company was prevented from speaking about openly by corporate restrictions.

The announcement follows co-founder Jerry Greenfield stepped down his position at Ben & Jerry's in September, following many years with the organization, mentioning concerns regarding how the company's autonomy was compromised after corporate moves to curb their advocacy work.

At that time, Ben Cohen remarked how “My partner has strong compassion and this conflict with Unilever was deeply distressing him."

"My heart leads me to continue to work within the organization to advocate for corporate autonomy so that the company can achieve its ethical purpose, the principles which it was founded on while upholding for decades," he explained to journalists.

• Corporate owner limitations regarding political advocacy
• Personal product development from original creators
• Watermelon flavor serving as political symbol
• Continuing disagreements between corporate ownership versus ethical values