Israel: “Ben & Jerry’s” Becomes “Milk & Honey”

The global corporate leadership of the well-known American ice cream brand “Ben & Jerry’s” is stunned—and powerless: Their former Israeli licensing partner has launched its own ice cream in Israel, with the blessing of “Ben & Jerry’s” parent company Unilever, called “Milk and Honey” (Milk & Honey)—a creamy vanilla-honey ice cream with fudge chunks shaped like Stars of David. Production takes place in collaboration with dairy farmers from the Gaza border area and the beekeepers of Yad Mordechai. A portion of the proceeds goes directly toward the region’s rehabilitation.

The reason: Shortly before, the global management of “Ben & Jerry’s” had decided to ban the sale of its ice cream in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). However, the Israeli franchisee and importer of “Ben & Jerry’s,” Avi Zinger, refused to carry out this directive. In response, the U.S. headquarters announced that it would not renew the franchise agreement and even planned to release a “Palestine” ice cream flavor as a gesture of solidarity.

However, Unilever, the parent company of “Ben & Jerry’s,” did not support the boycott. Instead, it sold the brand rights for Israel entirely and permanently to Zinger. Although “Ben & Jerry’s” management filed a lawsuit against its parent company, it lost the case in U.S. federal court. The sale of the trademark rights to Avi Zinger was approved.

Since then, the Israeli brand has been completely independent. And it’s celebrating that with a Zionist ice cream—right under the noses of the “Ben & Jerry’s” management in the U.S.