Unilever has bought Ben & Jerry's Homemade for $326m (£205.13m).
The $43.60 (£27.43) per share deal for the US ice-cream manufacturer catapults Unilever into the "super premium" category for the first time.
The move marks the end of a vociferous campaign by Ben & Jerry enthusiasts under the slogan "Multi-Flavours not Multi-nationals".
The company was formed in 1978 and began life in a renovated petrol station in rural Vermont by childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield with just £6,000.
The acquisition comes hard on the heels of Unilever's £2.3bn (£1.45bn) purchase of Florida-based SlimFast Foods Company.
The $43.60 (£27.43) per share deal for the US ice-cream manufacturer catapults Unilever into the "super premium" category for the first time.
The move marks the end of a vociferous campaign by Ben & Jerry enthusiasts under the slogan "Multi-Flavours not Multi-nationals".
The company was formed in 1978 and began life in a renovated petrol station in rural Vermont by childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield with just £6,000.
The acquisition comes hard on the heels of Unilever's £2.3bn (£1.45bn) purchase of Florida-based SlimFast Foods Company.
