TLDR
Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen has asked Australians to boycott Magnum products, Ben & Jerry's included, saying the owner is using the brand's local goodwill while silencing it. A US judge narrowed the brand's lawsuit in August, and Magnum has not responded to the Australian call.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The Australian call
Ben Cohen, who co-founded Ben & Jerry's in a converted Vermont petrol station in 1978, is asking Australians not to buy his own ice cream.[3] Cohen called on consumers here to boycott every product from Magnum, the company that now owns the brand, Ben & Jerry's included.[1]
"Australia has long been a market where Ben & Jerry's has meant something beyond ice cream," Cohen said. "Australian consumers have a voice. We are asking them to use it."[1] He accused Magnum of using that goodwill to grow sales across Australia and New Zealand while stripping out what created it.[1] B&T's report carried no response from Magnum.[1]
What the fight is about
Ben & Jerry's says its owner has blocked it from speaking on social issues it has campaigned on for decades. In court, the company has accused Unilever of censoring its speech, including protests against the war in Gaza, of ousting a chief executive who backed its activism, and of trying to suppress planned criticism of President Donald Trump.[4] Unilever denied censoring the company and said the former chief executive resigned voluntarily.[4] These are allegations, not findings.
Magnum took over as owner when Unilever spun off its ice cream business; the Magnum Ice Cream Company began trading in Amsterdam, London and New York on 8 December 2025.[5]
Where the court case stands
In August, US District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan dismissed seven claims and part of an eighth in the 10-count complaint brought by Ben & Jerry's and its independent directors. Two claims over missed payments by Unilever survive, and Magnum replaced Unilever as the main defendant. Magnum said the ruling significantly narrowed the case.[4]
Cohen has not backed off. He told The Drum that Magnum is "destroying the brand" and said: "We plan to win. We plan to keep at it." A petition asking Magnum to sell Ben & Jerry's to owners who back its social mission has more than 200,000 signatures.[2] The Free Ben & Jerry's campaign, launched in September 2025, is backed by the chief executives of Patagonia and Dr. Bronner's.[1]
Why it matters here
A founder asking customers to boycott the brand he built is a rare test of who owns a brand's purpose: the company that bought it, or the people who made it mean something. For Australian marketers whose brands sit inside larger groups, the question is how much of that meaning survives a change of owner. For retailers, Cohen is asking shoppers to walk past a freezer full of Magnum's brands.
SOURCES & CITATIONS
- Ben & Jerry's co-founder wants Aussies to boycott Magnum products, B&T
- As Ben & Jerry's lawsuit nears completion, Ben Cohen says he'll never stop fighting, The Drum
- Ben Cohen calls on the marketing community to free Ben & Jerry's, Adweek
- Judge narrows Ben & Jerry's lawsuit accusing Unilever of silencing social activism, Claims Journal (Reuters)
- Magnum Ice Cream demerges from Unilever and debuts on the stock market, Grocery Gazette
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why is Ben Cohen asking Australians to boycott Ben & Jerry's?
Has a court found that Magnum silenced Ben & Jerry's?
Who owns Ben & Jerry's?
James Dore is founder and editor of Prompt the Market and Strategy Director at Bushnote, a Sydney strategy, SEO and AI search agency. He has a background in strategy, media and financial services, and led consumer product marketing at MONEYME. He writes on AI search, answer engines, technology policy and media economics.
