They're retired, but certainly not retiring. The Ben & Jerry's founders talk to Nick Hughes about life under Unilever


Decked out in beach shorts, loose fitting shirts and sandals, the two silver-haired Americans look every inch the contented retirees as they gaze across the Caribbean sea.

Well, not quite. Although Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield have long since ceded control of the eponymous brand founded in 1978 after they took a $5 correspondence course in ice cream making at Penn State they remain on the payroll, albeit in an ambassadorial role. "A lot of showing face," as Cohen puts it.

They participate in promotions and represent the company at various events they are here in the Dominican Republic to judge the final of Ben & Jerry's Do The World a Flavour Competition and do a lot of public speaking, but the big calls are now made by Ben & Jerry's owner Unilever, which acquired the brand in controversial circumstances in April 2000.

In conversation, the pair dovetail like a polished double act. They finish each other's sentences and when Greenfield senses Cohen straying into controversial territory (which he frequently does), he is quick to reconcile Cohen's idealism with the reality of life under the ownership of a large conglomerate a theme that informs our entire conversation.

The root of Cohen's angst is his opinion that since Ben & Jerry's lost its independence, the brand, which was once as politically charged as any fmcg brand in recent memory, has toned down its act. I ask Cohen if this sits comfortably with him. He pauses for a good 10 seconds one can almost feel the internal battle raging between his heart and his head. As ever, the heart triumphs. "No," he says bluntly, before Greenfield cuts in: "I think the hard thing is to bake your values into the company because there aren't that many people like Ben around, he's not your average bear. It's pretty unusual in business to find people who are willing to take some pretty strong stands on these issues."

If this sounds a touch hypocritical, with the two entrepreneurs having made a killing when the publicly listed Ben & Jerry's sold for $326m, it's important to remember that they opposed the deal, in which Ben & Jerry's shareholders were offered the chance to almost quadruple their share value overnight. But the shareholders accepted and a new chapter in Ben & Jerry's colourful history began.

Greenfield says the pair made a conscious decision when they opened their first scoop shop in a converted gas station in Burlington, Vermont, that the brand would always be values-led under their stewardship. In the 1980s, Ben & Jerry's came out with an ice cream stick called a Peace Pop, which they used as the basis to speak out against the vast sums of money spent by the Pentagon on weapons. At the time, it was hugely controversial within the company, some of whose employees thought it inappropriate for a business to be talking about what was essentially a government programme. "That was not necessarily in our business interests," says Greenfield. "But Ben has always realised that it's much better to have a small number of people that care about you deeply than a higher margin of people who don't care what you're doing."

It's clear that people do still care strongly about the Ben & Jerry's brand. The vast majority of the competition winners who have been flown to the Caribbean to create their ice cream flavours are under the age of 20. When I ask what they like about the Ben & Jerry's brand, a few say the taste, but the majority cite the brand's values be it a commitment to Fairtrade or a willingness to still take the odd political risk.

Because despite Cohen's rhetoric, for a brand owned by a multinational company, Ben & Jerry's remains more opinionated and edgy than most of its peers. The legislator in the founders' home state of Vermont recently passed a law allowing same-sex marriage, a decision that provoked controversy in a country where Christian values inform the opinions of much of the population. In a nod to the verdict, Ben & Jerry's renamed its Chubby Hubby ice cream Hubby Hubby for a limited period, inciting feverish debate on both sides of the Atlantic and landing the brand "a good deal of flak", according to Cohen. Following Barack Obama's inauguration last October, Ben & Jerry's also launched a limited-edition Yes Pecan! flavour ice cream, clearly signalling that the brand's liberal, left-wing leanings remain intact.

Both Cohen and Greenfield are also quick to praise Unilever's commitment to Fairtrade, a cause close to both of their hearts. All the chocolate for Ben & Jerry's Vanilla Toffee Crunch, Chocolate Macadamia and Chunky Monkey ice creams is sourced from a farmers' co-operative in the Dominican Republic. It also sources Fairtrade coffee, vanilla and sugar for other variants. "It's been the Ben & Jerry's people in Europe that have really pushed Fairtrade," says Greenfield. "We're incredibly proud of what they've done," adds Cohen, then launches into a trademark tirade on how the US is behind Europe on environmental and social issues, "but ahead on military spending".

There's no sign of semi-retirement extinguishing Cohen's political activism. In 2002, he created a mobile burning effigy of George W Bush with the words 'Liar Liar Pants on Fire' in reference to the lack of weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq. In 2003, both Cohen and Greenfield spent a night behind bars for protesting outside the Sudanese embassy in aid of the people of Darfur.

Cohen admits, however, that he is glad the responsibility for what has become a powerhouse global brand is now someone else's. "I don't miss running it on a day-to-day basis. I would like to maintain the values of the company, but I would not like to have to run it. It's a lot of hard work."

The hard work, in the UK at least, is paying off for Unilever. Sales of Ben & Jerry's soared 13% year-on-year in a luxury ice cream market whose value rose just 0.2% to £87.6m [IRI 52w/e 3 October], suggesting the brand is firmly in the ascendancy in its fierce battle with Häagen-Dazs. And though both its founders claim not to concern themselves with financials, it will surely be of comfort that consumers are still buying into the ideals they instilled in the brand from day one.

So how do they envisage the brand in 10 years' time? Typically, the answer is a mix of realism and idealism. "Whatever issues there are 10 years from now, it would be great to see Ben & Jerry's taking a leadership role, which is tough within a company that tends to follow consumer trends," says Greenfield. "Ben & Jerry's strength in the past has been getting in front of issues and being willing to take risks, to lead as opposed to waiting until it becomes popular. It's just tough within the environment and the structure of the business."

With that thought hanging, they take their leave, off to their next engagement a cocktail reception with the competition finalists. "Shall we take the road or the sand," asks Greenfield, eyeing up a nearby golf buggy. "Let's go the sand," says Cohen, and at a stroke they are striding out across the beach. Well, you didn't expect them to take the conventional route, did you?