The long-running Ben & Jerry’s Foundation has warned of its impending shutdown amid allegations of a “profound betrayal” by parent company Magnum.
Founded in 1985 when the ice cream company went public, the foundation is a non-profit organisation aimed at grassroots, community programmes and socially progressive activism.
But in an unexpected update, the foundation’s founder, Ben Cohen, said that it has been evicted from its office while having funding removed.
“The Ben & Jerry’s Foundation was founded in order to use the highest percentage of profits of any publicly held corporation to fund grassroots organisations working for social, racial, economic, and environmental justice,” Cohen said.
“A critical founding principle was that the foundation needed to be totally independent of the company – that its grants could not be determined based on what would be best for Ben & Jerry’s, but rather what would be best for people who were suffering.”
“For Magnum Corporation to now be shutting down the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation is a profound betrayal of everything it was created to stand for. And I will do everything I can to oppose this abuse of power and help Magnum to see the light.”
Ben & Jerry’s said that if it receives a favourable ruling in an ongoing legal dispute against Magnum, it could resume operations.
A spokesperson for Magnum has told media outlets that the foundation has “mischaracterised” events, citing the US$60 million in funding it has received from both Magnum and Unilever.
