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One of the original creators behind the well-known frozen dessert company Ben & Jerry's has stated how parent company Unilever stopped the launch of an innovative Palestine-themed frozen dessert product.

The entrepreneur, that established the business with Jerry Greenfield, announced that he plans to independently develop this new flavor within an individual collection showcasing causes Ben & Jerry's was prevented from speaking out about.

Longstanding Dispute Between Founders versus Parent Company

The recent announcement escalates the continuing tension between the world-famous dessert company and Unilever, the British packaged goods corporation that acquired Ben & Jerry's since 2000.

Both founders have asserted that the parent company along with their ice cream division Magnum improperly prevented Ben & Jerry's against "fulfilling its ethical commitments".

The Fruit Sorbet as a Symbol for Support

The entrepreneur revealed through an Instagram video how he's developing a new watermelon-based sorbet, asking for consumer ideas regarding the product's name and additional components.

“I'm doing what they were prevented from doing,” the founder stated in his kitchen. “I'm creating a watermelon-flavored ice cream that advocates for permanent peace in Palestine and calls for repairing the damage that was done there.”

This particular fruit has emerged as a symbol of support for the Palestinian people because of its colors, which match the colors in the Palestinian flag – the distinctive four-color pattern.

Historical Activism plus Current Developments

Several years ago, Ben & Jerry's refused to sell their merchandise in territories occupied by Israel, leading to Unilever selling their Israel business over to an Israeli distributor, thereby permitting continued sales within disputed territories.

The new dessert series will be developed under Mr. Cohen's personal brand, the socially conscious dessert company that originally created in 2016 to support ex- US presidential candidate Senator Sanders with the flavor "Bernie's Back".

Leadership Changes and Future Intentions

Mr. Cohen stated that he will develop other ice cream flavors that address issues which Ben & Jerry's was silenced from addressing publicly due to corporate restrictions.

The announcement comes after co-founder Mr. Greenfield resigned his position at the company in September, following many years with the organization, mentioning worries that its independence was compromised after corporate moves to restrict its social activism.

At that time, Mr. Cohen remarked that “My partner has a really big heart and the ongoing dispute with our parent company was breaking it."

“My conscience compels me to continue to work within the organization to fight for corporate autonomy so that the company can achieve the social mission, the principles which established its foundation and has maintained for over 40 years," he explained to journalists.

• Parent company restrictions regarding social activism
• Independent product development from company founders
• The fruit-based product as political symbol
• Ongoing disagreements between parent company and social mission