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One of the co-founders of the well-known frozen dessert company Ben & Jerry's has claimed how corporate owner the multinational conglomerate prevented the launch for an innovative pro-Palestinian frozen dessert product.

The entrepreneur, that co-founded the business with his partner, announced how he plans to independently develop this new product as part of an individual collection highlighting issues Ben & Jerry's was prevented from speaking out about.

Ongoing Dispute Between Founders and Parent Company

The recent development deepens the ongoing disagreement between the world-famous ice cream maker and its corporate parent, the British consumer goods giant that has owned Ben & Jerry's since 2000.

The co-founders have asserted that the parent company along with their ice cream division the Magnum brand improperly prevented Ben & Jerry's from "fulfilling its ethical commitments".

Watermelon Flavor becoming a Symbol for Solidarity

The entrepreneur announced via an Instagram video how he's developing a new watermelon-flavored frozen dessert, requesting consumer ideas regarding the product's name plus additional components.

“I'm doing what they were prevented from doing,” Mr. Cohen declared in his kitchen. “I'm making a watermelon-based ice cream that advocates for permanent peace for Palestinians and calls for repairing the damage that was done there.”

This particular fruit has emerged as a symbol of solidarity with Palestinians due to its coloration, that closely resemble the colors in Palestine's national banner – red, green, black and white.

Historical Activism plus Recent Developments

Several years ago, Ben & Jerry's refused to sell their merchandise in areas under Israeli control, resulting in Unilever selling their Israel business to an Israeli distributor, thus allowing continued sales within the occupied West Bank.

This upcoming product line is being created through Mr. Cohen's personal brand, the activist dessert company which originally created in 2016 for endorsing former US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders with the product "Bernie's Return".

Management Changes plus Upcoming Plans

Mr. Cohen indicated how he will create other ice cream flavors focusing on issues which Ben & Jerry's was silenced from addressing publicly due to Unilever.

This development comes after co-founder Mr. Greenfield stepped down from Ben & Jerry's recently, after decades of involvement, mentioning concerns regarding how the company's autonomy had been undermined after corporate moves to curb its social activism.

At that time, Mr. Cohen commented that "Jerry has a really big heart and the ongoing dispute with our parent company was deeply distressing him."

“My conscience compels me to continue to work inside the company to fight for corporate autonomy so that it can fulfill its ethical purpose, the values that established its foundation and has maintained for decades," he told journalists.

• Parent company restrictions regarding social activism
• Independent flavor creation from original creators
• The fruit-based product as social statement
• Ongoing disagreements between parent company versus ethical values