The Unilever family is not a peaceful community. The Anglo-Dutch conglomerate with 125,000 employees is in perpetual conflict with one of its most turbulent children, the Ben & Jerry's ice cream chain, which it bought in 2000. The latest episode was the firing of its boss, David Stever, on March 3. In response, Ben & Jerry's independent board filed a complaint against its parent company in a New York court on Wednesday, March 19. This is far from the first time that they have taken their owner to court. The two companies have been at loggerheads since 2021, following the ice cream maker's decision to partially withdraw from Israel in protest at the situation in the occupied territories.

Ben & Jerry's is no ordinary company. Founded in 1978 by two long-haired idealists, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, in the most socialist state in the US, Vermont, it defined itself from the outset as a company with a social mission. They have campaigned on issues such as the Cold War, hormone-treated beef and the climate.

When Unilever bought the company, the two founders requested an independent board to verify the company's ethical conduct. This proposal was accepted by the British giant, itself a fervent advocate of corporate social responsibility at the time.

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