Bloomberg Talks · Sep 23, 2026
With Jochanan Senf, CEO of Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's activism "works for our business as well," CEO Jochanan Senf said, and he pointed to growth in the latest quarter as the evidence.
Many US companies have quietly taken apart their ESG and DEI programs under pressure from the administration, the host said. Senf said Ben & Jerry's will keep taking public positions, because customers would not recognize the brand if it stopped.
"So, it's an integral part of our whole business model that doesn't change."
Jochanan Senf, CEO of Ben & Jerry's, spoke on Bloomberg Talks on the day he was due to share a Climate Week panel in New York with the CEO of IKEA. He took the job about a year ago after an earlier spell at the company, which turns 50 in 2028, and he runs it while co-founder Ben Cohen campaigns to buy it back.
The full interview is covered here so you can skip it.
Here are the 7 takeaways that matter.
Key Takeaways
Activism "works for our business as well," Senf said, citing growth in the quarter
Dropping its positions would make the brand unrecognizable, he said, even as other companies cut ESG and DEI programs
Getting out the midterm vote is the one focus for the second half of the year
About $3M has gone to People's Action for community organizing
He did not take up co-founder Ben Cohen's criticism, calling him "a great campaigner"
Ice cream still sells as "that affordable, indulgent treat", he said, with the classic flavors doing the work
He has not felt pushback on additives, pointing to dairy standards and fair trade sugar and cocoa
The classic flavors are now being sold on a stick
1. Values As A Business Model
The host opened on how a company with public views on climate and racial inequality operates when the country is divided and trust in corporate America is low. Senf said he took the job about a year ago after working at Ben & Jerry's earlier, and that the company runs on a three-part mission: the product, a social mission expressed through its positions and its sourcing, and a business model that holds both.
The model pays for itself, he said
And then it all sits in a business model. And that model actually really, really works.
Jochanan Senf
He gave the growth figure as the proof, and said the company was also working to "support democracy" ahead of the midterms.
Growth in the quarter
And it works for our business as well because we grew in quarter to 9.2%.
Jochanan Senf
2. No Retreat Under Pressure
The host said many companies had quietly dismantled their ESG and DEI programs under pressure from the administration, and asked whether Ben & Jerry's faced the same constraints, given how loudly it takes positions. Senf said the positions are part of the business model and a change now would look strange.
Customers would not recognize the brand without its positions
That would be a thing that people would say, like, I wouldn't recognize Ben and Jerry's.
Jochanan Senf
He said the company keeps working with partners and applies the same values across its supply chain.
3. The Founder And The Board
The host raised the public dispute with the founders. She listed their concerns about dismantling the company's independent board, claims of toxic behavior, and Unilever pushing out Senf's predecessor, and asked what he says to people who think the company is sanitizing what made Ben & Jerry's what it was. Senf did not address the board, the behavior claims or his predecessor directly. He said the company turns 50 in 2028, that there has always been some debate inside it, and that it has been challenging at times.
He acknowledged the co-founder's campaign
I'm not ignorant to a co-founder being out there. He's a great activist campaigner.
Jochanan Senf
He said the co-founder has pushed the company to raise the bar throughout its history. Senf then moved to Razz Up!, a newly launched flavor and campaign to get suppressed voters, minority voters and first-time voters to the polls.
Voting is the priority
That's our focus now for the midterms because if you vote, democracy works and it really unlocks community and people power as well.
Jochanan Senf
4. The Midterms Come First
The host said the tension with the founders appeared to center on activism over Gaza, and asked how the company picks its causes when many people who care about climate and voting rights also care about Gaza. Senf did not name Gaza. He said a company working on social justice has to choose the campaign it focuses on, and that for the second half of the year it is voter turnout.
The company built a product around the campaign
We've built the flavor, we've built the campaign.
Jochanan Senf
He said the company had "donated about 3 million to People's Action" to fund community organizing and get people out to vote.
5. Ben The Campaigner
The host asked whether the co-founder's campaign to buy the company back complicated that message. Senf again did not engage with the substance of it.
His answer on the buyback campaign
Ben is a great campaigner. Ben is an activist. He's the founder of the company.
Jochanan Senf
He said the company is focused on its three-part mission and on building what he called its linked prosperity model, and that "there's a lot to do."
6. An Affordable Treat
The host noted that sales were strong in the second quarter at a time of concern about the consumer, and asked why shoppers still pick Ben & Jerry's over a store-brand ice cream. Senf said the company has made its ice cream the same way for 48 years, and named its all-time favorites, choc chip, cookie dough and fudge brownie, with "rich chunks and swirls."
Customers buy it as a treat they can afford
And they give you that affordable, indulgent treat.
Jochanan Senf
He said that approach works and that people are buying it.
7. No Pushback On Additives
The host asked about the push toward "real food" and concern over additives, noting that ice cream has to survive transport without melting. Senf said the company has not felt that pressure.
A wholesome product, in his words
No, we are a wholesome product. We're full of good dairy.
Jochanan Senf
He cited Caring Dairy, the company's dairy sourcing program, and fair trade sugar and cocoa. The company is also taking its pint flavors into handheld formats.
The classics, on a stick
And we're bringing these classic favorites of choc chip, cookie dough, fudge brownie on a stick as well.
Jochanan Senf
He said the handhelds were working for the company with the same quality and the same sourcing standards as the pints.
Bonus Insights
His favorite flavor is Peanut Butter Cup
It's this great combination of sweet and salt.
Jochanan Senf
He eats ice cream daily, in small amounts
The host recalled a hat from her brewery job that read "never trust a skinny brewer," and said Senf looked too fit to be eating the product all the time.
Well, I eat ice cream every day, but I do this with a little bit of here and there, a scoop here, and then it goes back into the freezer.
Jochanan Senf
Senf's bottom line is that Ben & Jerry's will keep its public positions because they are part of what customers buy, and that for the rest of 2026 its political work is voter turnout, not the disputes the host raised.
Products, Companies & Tools Mentioned
Ben & Jerry's (Senf's company, approaching its 50th year in 2028)
People's Action (The community organizing group Ben & Jerry's funded with about $3 million for midterm turnout)
Unilever (Which the host said pushed out Senf's predecessor)
IKEA (Its CEO was due to share a Climate Week panel with Senf)
Caring Dairy (Ben & Jerry's dairy sourcing program, cited against concern over additives)
Books & Resources Mentioned
Razz Up! For the 2026 Midterm Elections (Ben & Jerry's voter-turnout flavor and campaign)
Watch the full interview
🟣 Apple Podcasts | 🔗 Episode page
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