Ben & Jerry's SAVAGELY Attacks Own Parent Company in Dramatic War After CEO Firing…

This is the most interesting Ben & Jerry’s story since the iconic “Schweddy Ball” flavor release. In short, Ben & Jerry’s is suing its own parent company, Unilever, after the consumer goods giant gave CEO Dave Stever the boot—allegedly for being too committed to the brand’s progressive values. 

(Source: Giphy) 

Stever, a 36-year company veteran who started as a tour guide (yes, really), was apparently ousted without consultation because he wouldn’t "oversee the dismantling" of Ben & Jerry’s social mission. Translation: Unilever wants less activism, more product moving off the shelves. Which is why now, the company that literally puts activism on its packaging is taking its sugar daddy to court—again. 

Now ICYMI, Ben & Jerry’s is not your average ice cream brand. For instance, outside the scope of their outrageous flavors (Boston Creampie, anyone?), the company has been loud and proud about social causes since its 1978 founding. Case in point: They stopped selling in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in 2021, setting off an international firestorm (and a lawsuit against Unilever)---and they’ve openly criticized Donald Trump, which, in case you didn’t know, isn’t exactly great for business in today’s political climate.

(Source: CNBC) 

Unilever, on the other hand, is desperately trying to clean up its own mess like the janitor at Bonnie Blue’s record breaking event (iykyk). For example, it just fired its own CEO, Hein Schumacher, and replaced him with finance chief Fernando Fernandez to speed up a turnaround. And part of that turnaround? Shutting down Ben & Jerry’s independent social crusades. According to the lawsuit, Unilever blocked Ben & Jerry’s from honoring Black History Month and prevented them from supporting the release of a pro-Palestinian activist from detention.

What’s more is that Unilever is already planning to spin off its entire ice cream division, listing it separately on the Amsterdam stock exchange. Unilever is already planning to spin off its entire ice cream division, listing it separately on the Amsterdam stock exchange. But before that happens, Unilever wants control, and Ben & Jerry’s is doing everything it can to stop it from turning into just another generic frozen dessert brand. 

(Source: Giphy) 

So given this, here’s the outlook of what might come next: If Unilever wins, Ben & Jerry’s becomes just another ice cream brand, stripped of its activist DNA in favor of maximizing profits and keeping things “nutral.” However, if Ben & Jerry’s wins it’ll keep its independent board and social mission, proving that it can be both a brand and a movement—no corporate censorship required. 

Either way, this issue is just heating up, and Unilever’s got a big decision to make. Does it let Ben & Jerry’s keep its rebellious streak, or do they get their Christian Grey on and force Ben & Jerrys into submission towards a corporate rebrand? Only time will tell. But for now, investors don’t seem too phased on the matter considering the stock has barely moved over the past five trading days (see: precisely 0.00% at the time of this writing). 

(Source: Giphy) 

So yeah, keep your eyes on this story and place your bets accordingly, friends. As always, stay safe and stay frosty! Until next time…

P.S. You know that feeling when an insider sells $2.5 million shares of a chip stock that’s “supposed” to be the next Nvidia? If you don’t, then you need to join Stocks.News premium asap to get the first-hand look at these massive insider transactions before the rest of the retail world catches on. Spoiler: The stock has soared 400% over the last 12 months—so why in the hell is the Chief Technology Officer of this high-flying stock dumping his bags now? 

Stocks.News does not hold positions in companies mentioned in the article.