Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield have held some initial discussions in recent months about a potential deal, according to people familiar with the matter.

The founders of Ben & Jerry’s are reportedly exploring buying the brand back from Unilever following years of conflict with the consumer giant over its stance on Israel. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, who founded the ice cream maker in Vermont in 1978, have discussed a potential deal that could be worth billions of dollars, Bloomberg reported.

The co-founders of popular ice cream brand, Ben & Jerry's, are mulling repurchasing their company from Unilever. The move comes amid allegations that the parent corporation is meddling with their progressive political stance. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, now aged 73, sold their namesake ice cream business to Unilever for $326 million in 2000.

Although Ben & Jerry’s is notable for unique ice cream flavors, the multi-million dollar company is becoming known for its activism to a smaller audience online. In 1978, childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield founded Ben & Jerry’s in Burlington, Vermont. Today, the company produces nearly 1 million pints of ice cream a day.

The founders of Ben & Jerry’s have expressed interest in buying back their namesake ice cream brand from Unilever Plc, according to people familiar with the matter.

After disputes over Donald Trump and his politics, Ben and Jerry's founders are trying to buy the company back