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The co-founders behind the famous ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has stated how corporate owner Unilever stopped the introduction for a new Palestine-themed frozen dessert product.

The entrepreneur, who co-founded the business alongside Jerry Greenfield, announced how he plans to independently develop this new flavor as part of a personal series showcasing issues the company has been barred from speaking out about.

Ongoing Conflict Involving Founders versus Corporate Owner

The recent announcement deepens the ongoing tension between the world-famous ice cream maker and its corporate parent, the British packaged goods giant which has owned the ice cream brand since 2000.

The co-founders maintain that the parent company and their ice cream division the Magnum brand improperly prevented Ben & Jerry's from "honouring its social mission".

The Fruit Flavor as an Emblem of Support

Mr. Cohen revealed via an Instagram video how he's developing a new watermelon-based sorbet, asking for public suggestions for the product's name and additional components.

“I'm doing what they were prevented from doing,” Mr. Cohen commented from a cooking set. “I'm making a watermelon-flavored frozen dessert that calls for lasting ceasefire in Palestine and calls for addressing the harm that was done there.”

This particular fruit has emerged as an emblem of solidarity with Palestinians because of its colors, which mirror the colors in Palestine's national banner – the distinctive four-color pattern.

Previous Social Engagement and Recent Developments

Several years ago, Ben & Jerry's refused to sell their merchandise in territories occupied by Israel, resulting in Unilever selling their Israel business to an Israeli distributor, thereby permitting ongoing distribution in disputed territories.

This upcoming product line is being created through Mr. Cohen's personal brand, the socially conscious ice cream brand which originally established several years back to support ex- US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders via the product "Bernie's Back".

Leadership Changes plus Upcoming Plans

The founder revealed that he plans to develop other ice cream flavors that address issues that Ben & Jerry's was silenced from speaking about openly due to Unilever.

The announcement follows partner Jerry Greenfield resigned his position at the company in September, after decades of involvement, citing concerns regarding how the company's autonomy was compromised following Unilever's decision to curb its social activism.

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

"My heart leads me to keep working inside the company to fight for corporate autonomy so that it can fulfill the social mission, the principles that it was founded on and has maintained for decades," he told journalists.

• Parent company limitations on political advocacy
• Independent flavor creation from company founders
• Watermelon flavor as political symbol
• Ongoing disagreements between parent company and social mission