Ben & Jerry’s has been a progressive and political company since it was formed in 1978. Its primary goal is to sell delicious ice cream, but bubbling away under that is a decades-long commitment to social, economic, and environmental justice.
That ethos has survived a corporate buyout by Unilever, with the company maintaining an independent board to ensure its social mission isn’t interfered with by meddling executives. For the most part, this has gone smoothly, though there’s long been simmering tension over Ben & Jerry’s support of Palestinian rights, indigenous land rights, and Black History Month.
