You’re standing in the freezer aisle, staring at a pint of Half Baked, and you start wondering if you can own a piece of the action. It's a fair question. Ben & Jerry’s is basically the poster child for "values-led" business, and usually, those are the companies people want to invest in. But if you go to your brokerage app and type in "BEN" or "JERRY," you’re going to come up empty-handed.
The short answer is no, Ben & Jerry’s is not its own publicly traded company. You cannot buy "Ben & Jerry’s stock" directly.
But honestly, the real story is way more complicated and kind of dramatic right now. As of early 2026, the ground has shifted under the feet of the world's most famous ice cream makers. For decades, they were tucked away inside the massive corporate portfolio of Unilever. That changed just a few weeks ago in December 2025. Now, Ben & Jerry’s is part of a newly independent, publicly traded entity called The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC).
If you want to own a slice of those Phish Food profits, you have to look at the parent company, not the brand itself.
The Big Split: Why Everything Changed in 2025
For twenty-five years, Ben & Jerry’s was the quirky, activist sibling in the Unilever family. Unilever is the British giant that owns everything from Dove soap to Hellmann’s mayo. But in late 2025, Unilever finally pulled the trigger on a plan they’d been teasing for a while: they spun off their entire ice cream division.
Why? Because ice cream is a headache for a company that mostly sells shelf-stable soap.
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Ice cream requires "cold chain" logistics—massive freezers, specialized trucks, and high electricity costs. It’s also seasonal. Unilever decided they’d rather focus on "power brands" like Rexona and Omo. So, they created The Magnum Ice Cream Company. This new company now owns Ben & Jerry’s, along with other heavy hitters like Magnum, Cornetto, and Wall’s.
How the Spin-Off Actually Worked
The demerger wasn't exactly smooth. A US government shutdown actually delayed the New York listing by a few weeks, but as of December 8, 2025, TMICC officially started trading.
- Where it's traded: You can find it on the Euronext Amsterdam, the London Stock Exchange, and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
- The Ticker: While Unilever trades under UL, the new ice cream entity has its own identity on the boards.
- Ownership: Unilever didn't just walk away entirely; they kept a minority stake (under 20%) that they plan to sell off slowly over the next few years.
If you were a Unilever shareholder back in November 2025, you probably woke up to find new shares of an ice cream company in your account. For everyone else, buying into TMICC is the only way to "technically" invest in Ben & Jerry’s.
The "Independent" Board Drama
Here’s where things get spicy. When Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield sold their company to Unilever back in 2000 for $326 million, they didn't just take the money and run. They insisted on a weird, unique legal structure. Ben & Jerry’s has its own Independent Board of Directors.
This board is legally responsible for protecting the brand's "social mission." They’ve used that power to sue their own parent company multiple times. You might remember the 2022 blowout over sales in West Bank settlements, or more recent clashes regarding the war in Gaza.
The founders are currently furious. Jerry Greenfield actually resigned as an employee in late 2025, saying the brand's independence has been "silenced." Ben Cohen has been even louder, calling the recent corporate moves a "power grab." Just this past December, the new parent company (TMICC) imposed nine-year term limits on the independent board members.
This essentially forced out long-standing activists like Anuradha Mittal. The corporate bosses say it's about "modernizing governance," but the founders say it’s a move to muzzle the brand’s political voice.
Can You Buy "Ethical" Shares?
If you’re looking to invest because you love their stance on climate change or social justice, you should know that your money is also going toward brands like Magnum and Breyers. You aren't just supporting the Vermont hippies; you’re supporting a global corporate machine trying to hit double-digit growth targets.
Investors like Terry Smith of Fundsmith have historically criticized Unilever for focusing too much on "purpose" and not enough on "profit." The new Magnum Ice Cream Company is under intense pressure to prove it can be more profitable now that it’s on its own.
What This Means for You
If you’re determined to have Ben & Jerry’s in your portfolio, here is the deal in 2026:
- Stop looking for "Ben & Jerry's" on the NYSE. It isn't there.
- Look for The Magnum Ice Cream Company. This is the new home for the brand. It is a "pure-play" ice cream stock, meaning its entire value is tied to the freezer aisle.
- Check the ticker on your local exchange. Since the demerger is fresh, make sure you're looking at the right listing (Amsterdam vs. New York).
- Watch the lawsuits. The independent board is still fighting for the right to speak out on social issues. If they win more autonomy, it could affect the brand's marketing and, eventually, the stock price.
Honestly, the "Independence" of Ben & Jerry's is a bit of a ghost right now. It’s owned by a public company, governed by corporate term limits, and managed by executives in London and Amsterdam. It’s a far cry from the gas station in Burlington where it all started.
If you want to support them, buying a pint of Chunky Monkey is a lot more direct than buying shares in a Dutch-incorporated holding company. But if you’re looking for a dividend paid out in ice cream profits, The Magnum Ice Cream Company is your only path forward.
Next Steps for Potential Investors:
- Review the TMICC Prospectus: Look specifically at the "Risk Factors" section. They usually list the ongoing litigation with the Ben & Jerry's board as a potential risk to the brand's reputation.
- Compare with Unilever (UL): Decide if you want the stability of a diversified consumer goods giant or the high-risk, high-reward nature of a standalone ice cream business.
- Monitor the 2026 Shareholder Meetings: The first few meetings of this new company will be a battlefield between "profit-first" investors and "purpose-led" activists.