Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen has claimed that parent company Unilever, which also owns Magnum, blocked the ice cream brand from creating a flavour in solidarity with Palestine.

In social media posts, Cohen announced that he will instead develop the flavour himself in his home test kitchen under his personal project, Ben’s Best, which he previously used to launch activist-inspired ice creams.

According to Cohen, the flavour will be the first in a new series addressing social causes that Ben & Jerry’s “has been prevented from speaking out on”, including racial justice and freedom of speech.

The series is part of Cohen’s wider Free Ben & Jerry’s campaign, which calls for the ice cream brand’s independence from Unilever ahead of the delayed Magnum demerger, now expected in 2025.

Unilever / Magnum stopped Ben & Jerry’s from creating a flavor for Palestine — so I’m doing it
myself.
I’ve got a watermelon, an empty pint, and I need your help:
Name the flavor or suggest ingredients
Or design the pint packaging
Tag @yobencohen, @MagnumGlobal use… pic.twitter.com/L3h6Z4Hzw6

— Ben Cohen (@YoBenCohen) October 28, 2025

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

Cohen said the yet-to-be-named watermelon flavour will not be sold commercially, but will be developed publicly through an open challenge inviting submissions for ingredients, names and design concepts.

Cohen said: “Making flavours under Ben’s Best is my way of continuing what we started at Ben & Jerry’s, and doing what they’re being blocked from: making ice cream with purpose. I will keep talking about Palestine, and about self-determination, dignity, and lasting peace for its people –– the same things that Israelis should have.”

The former Ben & Jerry’s executive has also called on the public to write to Magnum’s leadership urging them to “free Ben & Jerry’s” from its parent structure, following a recent protest outside Magnum’s Capital Markets Day in London.

The new product announcement follows fellow co-founder Jerry Greenfield stepping down from the ice cream brand after nearly five decades, after accusing parent company Unilever of undermining the social mission that made the brand famous.

Unilever has not commented on Cohen’s claims.